#And it’s been so fun so far because my sisters are actually engaged with the story?? and they’re having all the right reactions and

[janamensch]

I’ve been reading the Neverending Story to my sisters as a bedtime story, and I still love this book so so much!! Trying to figure out what I want their designs to look like, because I do want to draw more stuff from this book

[adambomb82]

Life update

[hannahssimblr]

“Si prega di restare in linea. Un membro del nostro staff sarà con lei a breve.” Out the back of the Villa, Friday morning, phone to my ear, just me, and the crackling, classical hold music. 

A woman comes on, terrible English, my Italian worse, and we engage in a stunted back and forth about the accommodation in Sorrento, why it’s too late to cancel. “The day before you arrive…” she’s saying. “It is impossible. You must pay the full amount.” And obviously I don’t want to do that. I want my money back, because I think my girlfriend is on the brink of breaking up with me. Listen, I slept on the couch last night. My neck actually hurts quite a bit, so if you could just give me a refund, that’d actually be so cool. Very much appreciated.

These are my thoughts, not what I say to the nice, hassled woman on the phone. “Okay, thanks so much. See you tomorrow,” I hang up, then go typing things into the internet. Things to do alone, Sorrento. Activities for solo travellers, Sorrento. Best restaurants Sorrento -romantic -couples. Pulling up pictures of the room, trying to decipher how likely it is there’ll be a couch I can sleep on there, or if I’ll just take the floor.

Afternoon sometime, I call home. Facetime, my mother’s iPhone, and she picks up wearing a rollneck jumper. “I’m cold looking at you,” she says. “What temperature is it?”

“Dunno. Twenty-seven or something.”

“All going well?”

“Yeah, it’s great. Is Ivy home?”

“Yes. Seeing as it’s the Easter holiday, she’s home all week.” Emphasis on the words “Easter holiday”, like I’m already aware of the details and intricacies of my sister’s schedule. No, I don’t. Sorry. I actually don’t live there anymore, but share the Google calendar link if you want.

She passes the phone to Ivy, her new braces on, a flash of metal there, to fix the lower crowding and the gap between her central and lateral incisor. Green bands this time. Last time they were red. She likes to switch it up. 

“How’d dad feel about the highlighter green?” I say. “Surprised he even had anything other than medical grade beige and silver in stock.”

“He said it’d make my teeth look rotten from far away. I said ‘good’.”

“Nice. When I had mine, he gave me the clear bands, you know that? Nothing fun allowed.”

“Yeah, and he said yours got stained because of all the Fanta.”

“I was a foul kid. How are you?”

She’s in the kitchen. I can see the garden through the patio doors behind her. The way she slumps onto the settee is hilariously adult, the laboured sigh, the eye roll. “Oh, fine. It’s been busy.”

“Busy? Doing what?”

“I’ve been at Ella’s house a lot. Hanging out. We had a sleepover a few days ago.”

“Uh huh? Any drama?”

“Oh, yeah. We passed around notes that said ‘do you like me?’ and then we had to write yes or no.”

“Wow, great idea.”

“Yes, well. Someone wrote ‘no, we all think you’re annoying’ on Olivia’s.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know. I have my suspicions.”

“What did Olivia do?”

“Nothing, I don’t think. Some people just don’t like her. She was crying and all, then. Got her dad to collect her afterwards, which was good, probably, but then everyone was just going on about it. I said it wasn’t me, so I’m not bitching behind her back.”

“‘Bitching’? You can’t say that word.”

“Oh, well, I can.”

“Mom says that, does she?”

Ivy, cheek on fist, a wry smile. Of course not. She’s trying it out, casually tossing it in to see what she’ll get away with. My sister, a smooth operator. Ten going on twenty-five, apparently. 

“What’s happening for Easter, then?”

“Granny’s house.”

“Exciting.”

“Back to the haunted house.”

I laugh, genuinely, and make her run the highlight reel of her impressions. Granny Hyland when the electricity went out. Granny Hyland when the centre-left election campaigner came to the door. Granny Hyland when a bird shat on dad’s windscreen on the way into town.

She’s the funniest person I know, delivering spot on impersonations with no need to laugh at herself. The better sibling in every conceivable way. 

“Where’s Astrid?” she says. “I want to see her.”

She means it literally, the seeing her thing. They won’t talk, because Astrid never knows what to say, but Ivy likes to look, anyway. There, usually, somewhere in the background curled up on the couch, or in the kitchen, where I’ll walk in, pointing the phone at her and force her into an awkward “hello”. It’s a girl thing, maybe, my sister’s perception of her, the standard of what all little girls want to be when they grow up. “Show me your nails,” Ivy will say, and Astrid will, usually glossy and flawless. “Now your earrings, can I see them?” and then, tucking back her hair, those golden hoops with the leaf. I bought her those for Christmas. 

I see the appeal. Pin straight blonde hair, slim and tall, the Scandinavian slope nose, she might have been factory made. Moulded from the same template used for fashion dolls, the ones Ivy has played with her whole life, and still does. In her room, ten of them hanging out in the bookshelf she emptied to make an apartment. She wants to see one in the flesh. She’d come back on a week later with the same nails, only shorter, the varnish lumpier, and earrings from Claire’s that have already made her lobes green. “Show Astrid my fashion,” she’ll say, and my girlfriend will do her best to smile.  

“She’s out,” I say. 

“Oh, where?”

I don’t know. She’s been gone since this morning, would you believe? I woke up, sore neck after she shunned me to the sofa, and she was gone. I texted her to check in and she didn’t even read the message. God knows, to be honest, Ivy. She’s probably hanging out with these two absolutely bonkers friends she met on a boat last weekend, so much older than her and the weirdest vibe about them you can imagine. You’ll know what I mean when you’re older. Anyway, she’ll be back eventually, and then I’ll get her to show you her nails. They’re pink at the moment. 

“Shopping.” 

“Oh, okay. Buying something cool?”

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

“Okay. Hope you’re having fun.”

“I am. Lots of photos to show you. I’ll call again soon, okay?”

Beginning // Prev // Next

[lfghughes]

after years and years of dating, jack finally proposing to the reader maybe also include flashbacks of jack ellen and maybe quinn and luke going shopping for a ring

a/n: this one was so much fun to write, thank you so much for requesting this. my heart is total pudding right now.

You and Jack had been together for years and most questions you got from friends, families, and interviewers were all surrounding a future engagement and marriage. You were in no rush and you never wanted Jack to feel like he had to propose. Both of you knew you were going to be together and you weren’t the type to give an ultimatum. Usually both of you did a pretty good job at finding a way out of the question or simply telling people that when it happens it happens. Right now we were in playoff season and Jacks parents plus Quinn were coming in to stay at the apartment you both shared with Luke. So your main focus was making sure you were all comfortable but you were also excited since his family had really become your family in all these years and Ellen especially had become like a mom to you and a best friend. Them being here wasn’t a nuisance it was actually far from it and you knew Jack was more than excited about them being here to watch him and his brother play.

Jack had a plan and he had talked it over with Ellen before on the phone whenever he did get a moment of privacy. They had both agreed on when she got here that they would look at rings together and help him choose the perfect one. At first he considered inviting Quinn and Luke but he really wanted this time with his mom to go over everything without his brothers teasing him in any way. “What about this one, mom?” He asked as he pointed at a ring. “Jack, honey it’s a little flashy and she’s always mentioned just wanting something a little more simple.” He did know this but it was like every thought process was gone from his brain because of how nervous he was. His eyes stopped in front of a ring that he knew was perfect. “I think I found it.” And with those words, Ellen leaned over and smiled. “I think you just found it too.”

Hiding the ring wasn’t an issue, usually Jack knew that his hockey gear went untouched but he also knew Luke could hide it easily in his room. But showing Quinn and Luke the ring was a little more difficult because there wasn’t a time that the apartment was empty but luckily Ellen had decided to do a girls nail salon day that gave him just enough time to show them. “Woah, is this real?” Quinn asked as he looked at the ring box. “So are you going to fix your tooth before asking?” Luke asked with a laugh before Quinn playfully tapped him to stop. Jack looked defeated for a second before Luke spoke up again. “She’s going to love that ring and I can’t wait until she’s officially or well legally our sister.”

Jack had also asked his dad for some proposal ideas because well he had done it once and it worked out great but the best advice he got was to do it when it felt right. How would he know when it felt right? Every moment with you felt right. Jack had decided he would do it at a family dinner outing. Typically he would have thought of doing it in private but he knew that you wouldn’t be upset by it and would actually love that Ellen could be there and well he wanted his mom there too and your parents. So he planned a big family outing that you didn’t think twice of because his parents were only in town for a few weeks and why wouldn’t you have a big family dinner? Until he got down on his knee right before dessert and showed you the most perfect engagement ring. “I’ve been in love with you for many years and I plan on being in love with you for many more. Marry me?” You immediately nodded your head. “Yes! Of course, yes!” The room started clapping and you immediately showed the whole table the ring even though you knew Jack had more than likely done it but yet Ellen still acted like it was her first time looking at the ring. “It’s beautiful honey. You already know you’ve been a part of this family for a long time but we’re so excited to watch you marry our son.”

[an-indecisive-nerd]

Alright so for some reason the world y'all were most interested in... was Earth???

Don't get me wrong, I'm actually pretty happy about it. Getting to talk about how my world differs from our Earth is pretty fun. It's also the most developed of the worlds (since I didn’t technically have to do anything), so it's the easiest for me to talk about.

So, history and culture were tied for the subject most people wanted me to talk about, so we'll start with history.

As far as world history goes, like the stuff you'd learn in class, not much differs other than the fact that I added a war that started in 1786 and ended around 1793.

Why did I add a war there?

Vibes mostly.

Also because I'm ever so slightly illiterate.

Anyway, that's it for the known/common history, now on to the stuff you have to be some brand of special to learn about.

Let's start with why Earth was created.

Little bit of background that I've mentioned but not gone into detail about: Each world was created by a specific god. The other gods helped, but the concept and breath of life that went into the world belongs to one god and one god alone.

Earth was created by Darkness. It was created shortly after Eorianor was destroyed. Ordinarily Darkness would have been last in line to create a new world, but since Eorianor was created by Sun, and Darkness is seen as Sun's opposite (shocker), it seemed natural that he try. Because obviously Eorianor didn't go well.

In actuality Eorianor was not at all Sun's fault, and Darkness and Sun are quite similar, at least personality wise. Their perceived differences were enough to reassure people that things will go better this time though, so they went with it.

Now then, last but not least, the history of the Order of the Universe, the group that's mainly being focused on on earth.

The Order of the Universe was created by Melantha Tollemache when the gods asked her to get them more followers on Earth. (The reason they didn't have many will be mentioned in the religion post for earth)

So Mel created the Order of the Universe, also known simply as the Order. It's pretty much a cult, but don't tell her that (she gets it enough from her little sister).

I'll admit I'm still a little hazy on my timelines, but the Order began sometime in the 1810-20s, and has slowly grown since then. It's founder drops by every few decades or so to check in, take over again, stamp out any corruption, make important adjustments, etc. But over all it's pretty self sufficient.

Nowadays the Order of the Universe exists as a town with a population of 8,577. It rests on the edge of a forest in the middle of nowhere. It's a very peaceful town, you wouldn't know it's in the middle of a war by looking at it.

Did I say war? It seems I did.

The Order is currently engaged in a war against the Organization. The town is their safe haven, a place the Organization can't reach.

Yet.

@thelovelymachinery @unforgettable-sensations @littleladymab @megamijadeheart @my-bright-legacy

@ominous-feychild @thecomfywriter @wyked-ao3 @anamelessfacelessnerd @differentnighttale

@mysticstarlightduck @leahnardo-da-veggie @the-letterbox-archives @paeliae-occasionally @tr4sh-p4nd4-404

@lovey-dovey-wovey @sidon0isnt0here @damonk13 @aalinaaaaaa @sm-writes-chaos

[psychhound]

psychhound games 2 year anniversary

wow ... i cant believe its already been two years since i started publishing games on itch but so much has happened in that time. i got promoted at my job, quit that job, started a master's program, became a teacher, decided to continue on to a phd, got published (twice), found meds that helped, made a lot of new friends, learned to cook, played in a good number of campaigns and short shots, and somehow, through all of that, i managed to publish (checks notes) 24 games, 2 zines, and an srd

in that time ive gotten over 20k views and almost 5000 downloads, as well as shout outs in video essays and podcasts. i've run two successful kickstarters and one that made it a far way but ended up teaching me more from its failure than i wouldve hoped

my goal when i started making ttrpgs was just to get a little bit of practice before i made my Big Dream Game. get my feet wet a little to learn the ropes and then design what i had actually set out to do in the first place - make a game designed specifically for therapeutic practice. and then i realized that i actually just really enjoy making games and kept making more and more and more of them until ... here we are

the first ttrpg i ever made literally came to me in a dream. my little sister was working for his college paper at the time and i dreamt that when he came to visit we played a silly comedy interviewing game i had made for her. so i woke up and made it. and then she visited and we played and it was a lot of fun!! and i was like. oh wait i can make games to make very specific people happy ... baller. so i kept doing that. made a game for my best friend where they could play as their cat and cause mischief and playing it for their birthday is such a cherished memory. my by far best selling game was made for a dear friend who's a photographer and lives in a big city and i wanted to blend city exploration, photography, and his love of a well-designed tarot deck into something fun he could do when he got out of the house. my most recent game was made because i wanted a tiny game i could print and send with my friends' holiday cards, and i know how much we all love writing and making crazy blorbo playlists so i made a playlist-driven writing game

over these two years its just become more and more obvious to me that my creativity that was once fueled so wholly by grief and trying to process it has now flipped around to being powered by joy and just overwhelming love. so many people in my life now who i love so wholeheartedly i found or got close to through playing ttrpgs, or being in the ttrpg community, and channeling that energy and that joy into making more of them to put out into the world has made my life so much better a million times over. i dont know where the future will take me but i hope to have such a long career of this - making through joy, engaging through play, growing through community - and i cant thank everyone whos supported me in getting here enough. im feeling very touched and very overwhelmed but just know that if youve ever bought one of my games, posted about playing it, left a nice review, or recommended it to a friend, you have my whole heart and i hope you have such a sweet new year

if you wanna check out my games you can find them on psychhound on itch or check out my portfolio and such on my website :) thanks everyone. happy new year

[glowingmushroom0]

Top Ten TBR for August

1. The Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao (currently reading)

Back in December, I was re-watching a bunch of Zhao’s videos on YouTube and in one of them she was promoting her novel Iron Widow. While I’ve never been too into mecha-novels in sci-fi, I decided to give this one a try! I’ve been finding the mechanics of the mechs really interesting, and I find Zetian a very engaging character. It also helps that Zhao explains some of the history of the real-life Wu Zetian in two of her YouTube videos. I still haven’t finished the book, but I am pretty close to finishing it.

2. Epithet Erased: Prison of Plastic by Brendan Blaber (currently re-reading)

This novel is a part of the Epithet Erased series on JelloApocalypse’s YouTube channel, which also includes several trailers for this novel and a part of chapter 1 of the novel’s audiobook. I remember seeing the original show on YouTube when it was coming out and it’s a really fun series! This part of the novel focuses on the story of Molly Blyndeff, a twelve-year-old with an epithet, a power that depends on whatever word the epithet is based off of. The story focuses on Molly’s relationship with her older sister Lorelai, and how her friends support her and try to help her as she tries to stop her sister from expanding her dream world within their family’s toy store. I’m actually listening to the audiobook while writing this post! I really recommend the audiobook version of this novel, the voice actors did an excellent job!

3. Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austen

I actually was recommended this book a couple of years ago by an aunt and a cousin of mine. I had gone to a Catholic school and they both knew I was pan (I still haven’t come out to them as agender though, but that’s because I don’t see or talk to them very often). However, what actually convinced me to try the book was an old friend group that started a book club, and this was their first book. I still haven’t read it because I didn’t end up making it to the meetings, but I am interested in reading it.

4. The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar

This novel I was interested in more from the author than the subject matter, but that doesn’t mean I’m not interested at all. I first read Jaigirdar’s Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating and really enjoyed it, so I wanted to read more of her works! That’s when I learned that this was her debut novel, and I wanted to compare the two. Plus, I will always find some joy from learning about different art forms through writing in novels. The most I know about henna so far is from a friend of mine who had another friend who wanted to practice henna on them. Because of that, I’d like to learn more about how Jaigirdar depicts henna artists.

5. A Queer Dharma: Yoga and Meditations for Liberation by Jacoby Ballard

I actually found this book at a book exchange that was at an LGBTQ+ friendly event. My friend and I are both interested in this book because we’re both into learning about different kinds of religion and how to express different kinds of spirituality. From what I’ve looked over with the book it talks about how queer people create their own spaces within Buddhism and yoga.

6. So This is Ever After by F. T. Lukens

I’ll go more in-depth with this particular choice in the next book, however the main reasons why I was interested in this novel is because I had already gotten a book from this author that I was pretty interested in. And after looking through another book of Lukens’s (or Lukens’), they also seemed to be really interested in fantasy, especially magic. I also thought it was an interesting idea that the story takes place after the typical “ever after” of defeating an evil king.

7. In Deeper Waters by F. T. Lukens

Now this is the novel that I originally found F.T. Lukens from, and the main reason why I was interested in reading this novel is because I love pirates. I also found myself hooked from just the summary of the novel. When people say a character is mysterious, I don’t really know if they’re going to be mysterious until they appear in the story. However, the summary does show how mysterious Athlen can be, considering he’s introduced as a prisoner on a burning ship. So, I’m interested in learning more about Athlen just from the summary.

8. Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

This novel has a bit more controversial reason for why I want to read it. I originally got this book because it was popular, and I was vaguely interested, but then I started hearing about debates on whether this is good MLM (men-loving-men, not multi-level-marketing) representation. However, I then had another friend that’s a part of the queer community that read the book and he liked it. So I wanted to read the book to figure out my own opinion on the novel. Plus I thought it would be a good time to read it since the novel’s getting it’s own show soon. 

9. Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Trans (But Were Afraid to Ask) by Brynn Tannehill

This book is less for me and more for family reasons. I’m not going to go into too much detail for privacy reasons, but a lot of my family still don’t quite understand much about what it exactly means to be transgender, especially not someone who’s under the non-binary umbrella. So I wanted to read this book and see if it’d be a good fit for some of my family members who do read.

10. Video Game Storytelling: What Every Developer Needs to Know about Narrative Techniques by Evan Skolnick

This book is more for my own learning and future career. My specific dream job is to create a video game story, which would go into scriptwriting. However, most of the creative writing advice and tips I’ve gotten were either for fiction in general, or for short stories and poetry. This book might be able to teach more about scriptwriting, but also how to develop scripts for video games.

[stellanslashgeode]

ao3 wrapped [writer's edition]

1. How many words have you written this year?

266,592 so far but I'm not done yet.

2. How many works did you publish this year?

14, though I think 2 were carryovers from last year.

3. What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?

I'm really proud of how Way of the Mynock is turning out and it will definitely be my longest work. BUT overall, I am most proud of Permission to Come Aboard, Admiral because I was hesitant to dip my toe into the Thrawn series and it was well-regarded by that fandom and I was asked to put it into a Thrawn Rare Pairs collection. That just tickled me.

4. What work of yours has the most hits?

Way of the Mynock by far, only one to get over 2k which isn't a lot but I've only been at this two years so I'm pretty small. And it's not close to done so it'll just keep persevering.

5. What work of yours got more feedback than expected?

Dissonance and Upheaval has 40 comments and while half of them are my replies I'm tickled that something with such a wonky high concept engendered such engaged readers.

6. Favorite title you used?

Serpentes Tremens is one of which I am particularly proud. Poor little drunken snake.

7. If you use song lyrics, which artist did you pull from the most?

That's gotta be Kate Nash. Way of the Mynock wouldn't exist without Skeleton Song, though the chapter titles aren't exclusive to that.

8. Pairing you wrote most this year?

Only 4 out of 14 were not Barrissoka so I remain that bitch.

9. Favorite pairing you wrote this year?

Vampire Barriss and vampire hunter Ahsoka followed closely by Emerie Karr and Riyo Chuchi.

10. What work was the quickest to write?

I wrote I Love You, Fulcrum directly into the AO3 interface in under an hour.

11, What work took you the longest to write?

Dissonance and Upheaval took a lot of research, and I have to be in the right mood to get the vibe.

12. How many WIPs are you taking into next year with you?

I am hoping to get a few finished, but it looks like seven as well as four or five I have planned but haven't started.

13. What's your longest work of the year?

Way of the Mynock is at 82,571 and not even half done.

14. What's your shortest work of the year?

I Love You, Fulcrum is 756 words young.

15. What WIPs are you taking into next year with you?

idk how this one is different from 12. Way of the Mynock might not even be completed next year. I'm taking it into the Sequel Trilogy era and I'm still on Rebels/Andor. I am hoping Don't Get Captured, Dissonance and Upheaval, and Serpentes Tremens will get finished by the end of the month. Contrasts is giving me trouble. It will get done when it gets done. I haven't even finished the first chapter of The Convor and the Tooka Cat. Poor Operations Other than War is just lying there at the bottom of the ocean.

16. What is your most common "Additional Tags" tag.

Probably "Fusion of Star Wars Legends and Disney Canon". I'm a slut for that one.

17. Your favorite character to write this year?

Tempted to say vampire Barriss but Emerie was really fun to write since she had some standout episodes but didn't get much backstory or closure in canon. NAH, nah scratch that. It's the Seventh Sister, actually. Both versions of her.

18. The character who gave you the most trouble this year.

Post-Tales of the Jedi Barriss. Still getting to know that girl. After having this version of her in my head post TCW it was hard to connect with new canon.

19. What's one paring do you want to explore next year?

I want to get more into Anidala, if I can find the time. I find them very easy to write and I want to explore the space since they're usually background in my work.

20. Which work of yours have you read the most?

Finishing up Dissonance and Upheaval has me reading the whole series over and over so I get the tone right.

21. How many kudos did you get this year?

482 which pleases the heck out of me as a small creator. That's over half my total!

22. Which work has the most comments?

Way of the Mynock at 52 so far.

23. Did you do any collaborative works this year?

No, but I will next year.

24. Did you write any gifts this year?

Three, same as the number of licks it takes to get to the gooey center of a Tootsie Pop.

25. Did you receive any gifts this year?

Nope, but it's not over yet!

26. What is your most common category?

A tie between Explicit and General Audience, which makes sense. They're usually the short one-offs.

27. What do you listen to while writing?

I often pick either one artist or genre for a story. Dusk of a Golden Age is all Dead Can Dance, for instance.

28. Favorite work you wrote this year?

You know what, it's hard to choose but I think my words in her voice is my most personal and I am really happy with how it turned out.

29. Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?

“Why, Miss Offee. You are sopping.”

30. Biggest surprise while you were writing this year?

I didn't expect to have so much fun writing a Sith character having a philosophical debate.

[finalgirlminamurray]

alright i'm gonna do it. my tcm fanfics:

The Sawyer Sisters, Fifty Years Later. the first one i posted which i wanted to get done in time for the 50th anniversary of the events of the first movie (not the movie itself, that was this year). consider it an introduction of sorts to the setting and characters of my gender-swapped au. written as an in-universe journalistic article but the kind that someone may have written out, sat down and looked at for a while, then discarded. i wrote it a few weeks before posting and i think it came out well enough. i felt like i should do something to celebrate the date and also establish my ideas.

The Texas Chainsaw Tarot. a conceptual piece that just consists of my descriptions of what i'd imagine a tcm-themed tarot deck would look like. i'm interested in tarot from an artistic/symbolic perspective and designing fandom-themed tarot decks is always fun, but i can't draw so i have to write it out instead. i'm glad i posted it on ao3 because it got some decent engagement. i still stand by all my choices.

don't question the virtue names: the sawyer sisters saga. this is my collection of all the sawyer sisters-verse fics i've posted. i'd already had these written but i did some significant edits before posting, and i think they turned out alright. still it's a very niche thing to have written so i didn't expect much of an audience. it's possible to read these like original fiction, but it would be too much to make the necessary changes to make it actual original fiction, you know? anyway what i've posted so far is focused on chastity (chop top's counterpart) and what she was doing in 1969-1973, because i felt that needed the most elaboration in this universe, and it turned into a whole thing because i just kept writing more and more detailed lore. i'll probably post more stories focused on other characters and time periods at some point, but for now we have a three-part history. (chass has kind of become my blorbo from my brain due to how much i've expended on her story, and she's not even really my favorite of the sort-of ocs!)

features a lot of 60s-70s cult stuff, partly inspired by some of the true crime literature i read around this time for "research", and partly by just the general vibe of the era. i deliberately didn't want this directly based off of any real-life things even though it's impossible not to be influenced, just as real cult leaders were probably inspired by the tactics of others before them. also features a lot of ocs.

i actually wrote these in reverse order of how they ended up being posted. i just kept going further back in the timeline while i wrote

ace of swords, or the rhythm of life (is a powerful beat). the first in the aforementioned series. chastity goes to la, meets and eats a girl, joins a new community, meets another girl, and... this was just meant to establish how she got to the final point, but it became its own thing soon enough. 2 chapters, 14k words.

hit the floor (and crawl to your mama). chastity goes to a party and has her first negative experience with the cult, then goes home, but not for long. originally written as an interlude of sorts. the last chapter takes place later in the timeline than everything else that's been posted so far, because again, these were written in reverse order. 3 chapters, 12k words.

the flesh failures (let the sun shine in). the last part...for now. chastity does something she's not proud of and unintentionally performs a heroic action, then gets her head bashed in for it. 3 chapters, 14k words.

more to come if i ever post the rest, and then...who knows? i'd also really like to expand on this verse here in ways that wouldn't fit into a published fanfic, regardless of whether anyone else cares lol.

[gwyns]

E/riel’s are really going crazy over SJM posting that Taylor Swift song, Guilty as Sin, on ber Instagram story. 😂 One E/riel even said “Not going to lie, I think Taylor is an ACOTAR fan. So many of her songs are coded for our girlies. I'm like she's had to have read these books!!!”

I feel like not everything that Sarah posts has to do with her books. Maybe she just wants to post/enjoy girly things without it being deep. If people want to headcanon it for their ship then that’s obviously fine, but some people are being way too aggressive about it. According to and E/riel, one Gwynriel on TikTok said it reminded them of Gwyn because sin makes them think of protested and the E/riel said “People will reach for anything”. So it’s okay for E/riel’s to make headcanons about the song, but Gwyn fans can’t? E/riel’s believe that song is their ship because of the religious language that mimics E/riel.

It kinda reminds me of how E/riel’s say Elain isn’t leaving the NC, but when SJM posted spring stuff on her story they were screaming Elain. Or when some came up with the theory that Azriel’s mother is living in the Spring Court because of his property being called Rosehall, and so they connected Elain to that. Azriel does have a property called Rosehall, but I’m pretty sure Tamlin does too in the SC. Also, it would be weird for Azriel’s mother to live in the SC. Wouldn’t he want his mother close to him just in case? And wouldn’t he and his mother have to get permission by the High Lord of Spring to live in his court? Funny how E/riel’s don’t place Elain in Spring unless it’s to their benefit/it connects her to Azriel. Gotta love that cherry picking.😂

or... and hear me out... taylor makes songs that can be applied to any ship in any fandom, much like a lot of other pop music. it's not that deep lol. e/riels really need to stop reaching so hard, they might throw their backs out if they're not careful

yeah, sjm isn't subtle or really sneaky at all but these new fans seem to think everyone has to leave hints and clues outside of their work, when she has never done that over the span of her decade old career. why start now? anything she writes will earn her millions anyway, seems unnecessary to me. i believe that sjm's new team is just trying to get engagement and that it doesn't go very far beyond that

oh e/riels have severe main character syndrome. they think everything is about them and their ship and if it isn't they twist facts and omit information to make it seem so. it's sad that a lot of them are grown ass adults too like girl... don't you have bills or something to worry about? but you're on social media bullying others over fictional pairings? embarrassing. i know i talk mad shit but god damn i don't keep up with them like they do gwyn fans/gwynriels. i spend my free time on things i don't claim to hate, weird i know! but honestly we all know they're secretly fans at this point 🤭

lmfaoooo they're so hypocritical it's insane. how is elain going to stay in the night court with her sisters, spy besties and broody bat "where she belongs" while also being in spring/tied to spring? we all know azriel is not leaving rhys or his court so... seems to me like you wouldn't want to connect elain to spring. you know something that eluciens and actual elain fans have been doing for years now? because we understand her character?? and yes! no way in hell does az's mom live in the spring court. no way. they're just killing off all their own critical thinking for fun at this point

[wildstar25]

for the ask meme: do every number divisible by 7

question list

7 - Favourite Dye

toss up between Dalamud Red and Gunmetal Black. I love how the red looks on Arsay, its the perfect shade for her, but I also enjoy how a pot of gun metal black can make most items look like like a shiny black leather which is equally fun on her.

14 - Favourite Raid

In terms of story I think so far the eden raids have been the most engaging to me... aaa but I also really really love the omega raids story as well.... Pandaemonium was a fun story too with a payoff to something i never thought we'd get.... The version of the crystal tower raid series that lives in my head is also very important to me... mechanically i think the arcadion raids have been the most fun for a first tier. Im always pretty happy to get Thaleia in roulette because of the vocal performances. Generally getting orbonne or the last two neir raids is always fun too.

21 - Starting class

Arcanist!

I was honestly surprised I picked it to start myself, generally I really love the fantasy of playing an archer over a caster, but I really wanted to start in the port town of Limsa over the other two city options. I love seaside towns =w=

In the Arsay canon she does initially come Limsa with the directive to go straight to the arcanist guild. Her directions from Emrara was "it's the first guild off the docks you should see". Unfortunately, the ship Arsay was on laid anchor on the other port of Limsa. So when Arsay asked the shady looking Roegaden standing outside of a building entrance if that was the guild room, he let her in thinking she was a new recruit to the dutiful sisters. One conversation later and suddenly Arsay was inducted into the rogues guild. It actually took her a few days of running around the la noscea area before she finally had the time to show up in the arcanist guild and get assigned to a mentor.

28 - Which class do you want to see added next? HMM this is a tough one because viper kinda was the class I thought I really did want in the game. Aesthetically at least. But I kinda had a bad time trying to figure it out for myself when dawntrail came out and it really shot my confidence while playing it :') I want to give it another shot but I also can't help but feel bad playing it in group content. I also still feel like I need to practice ninja more before anything else...

but that doesn't answer the question whoops. I still think green mage should show up eventually in the game. I don't think I would play it, but it would be interesting to have a casting class that works primarily with buffs and debuffs/DoT skills.

I'm happy beastmaster is getting added, shame it'll be a limited job but I can understand it might get a little OP depending on how they design it.

[prodigal-explorer]

*materializes into existence*

Hey, my dear moot :D

Putting some positive things in ya ask box.

I want to hear more about Aubrey! I know she's one of your favs, so feel free to infodump and rant about her <3

I'm also curious to hear your thoughts about Hero and Kel! From what I remember, they're brothers, right? I love brother relationships in media, like Roman and Remus (SaSi). But yeah, wanna hear your thoughts.

Anyway, have fun with this :D

aww thank you so much!!!!

i would LOVE to talk about these three amazing characters! sunny and basil are the main characters (for good reason considering that the main tragedy of the game revolves around their journey), but these three side characters are just as engaging and interesting as them! and those three are aubrey, hero, and kel!!!

let's start with aubrey. ladies first, after all!

so this is going to be as close to a spoiler-free post as i can make it, though i'm sure you've seen my posts enough to have like a full beginning middle and end of the game LMAO

one thing i do have to mention though is SPOILERS FOR MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH. i can't really write about these guys without mentioning it so if you don't know of any deaths in omori don't read yet!

anyway- AUBREY.

for me, the main thing about her that i love is her loyalty to herself and her values. some people are flighty. they do whatever everyone else seems to want, or they're unstable when it comes to their own opinions on things. there's nothing particularly wrong with those people, but i've always greatly admired people who always know who they are, and aubrey, like it or not, always knows exactly who she is.

that's why she gets so ANGRY when people don't know who she is, or choose to misconstrue who she is for their own benefit. the entire TOWN does this, painting her as some brutish, stupid, rebellious bully character just because she comes from a rough part of the neighborhood, she doesn't have a lot of money, and her parents aren't there for her. of course she's going to get mad at people who further perpetuate that image of her.

aubrey has nobody on her side in her teenage years. her parents are deadbeats who don't give her the time of day. her best friend, the only person in the world who truly loved her and treated her like a sister, was ripped from her when she was a little kid. and when that happened, all of her other friends faded away too. aubrey was left alone, just like she had been before she found those friends.

god, she is just such a tragic character because the thing about her is that as a young child, she gave and gave all she had to her friends. she tried so hard to be a good kid, a good friend, a good little sister figure. but none of it paid off in the end. she still ended up alone. she gave and gave, but the only things in the whole world she really wanted to take, true friendship and unconditional love, was completely out of reach because the sad truth of it was that everyone seemed to care more about each other than about aubrey. everyone else had parents or guardians they could turn to. everyone else had a support system when tragedy struck. aubrey's support system was erased by said tragedy.

people give aubrey a hard time, but she was a little girl. she was learning about the world just like everyone else. and when everybody you love either willingly leaves you to fend for yourself or is ripped away from you by cruel force, you start to harden and turn uglier, in a metaphorical sense.

also, another thing i love about aubrey is that she OWNS UP. she knows she's flawed. she can be impulsive, she can take arguments too far, her temper isn't under control all the time. but the important thing is that aubrey has the maturity and emotional intelligence to get up, SAY SORRY, promise that she won't do that bad stuff again, and then actually adhere to that promise. aubrey is so noble, and her being is filled to the brim with such integrity and dedication.

really, aubrey never wanted to stop giving. it sort of happened against her will. but the second she found the ability to start giving again, she did. i just love aubrey. she was an adorable, sweet little girl who grew into a smart, wonderful, incredible teenager. her journey is so special to me, especially as an afab person. aubrey often gets pushed aside due to being a girl (people try to deny it but it's the truth), when really, her journey is a perfect coming-of-age arc that fully encompasses the game's message: self-forgiveness.

aubrey knows how to forgive herself, and she doesn't expect forgiveness from anyone else. she does the best she can, and then continues on, always aiming higher, always trying to be better. sometimes, she makes mistakes. sometimes, she falls into holes and has to dig her way back up to where she started. but she never STOPS.

i just love aubrey so much.

okay! hero and kel!

so while i am obsessed with their brotherly dynamic, i regret to inform you that they are not really all that similar to roman and remus in my opinion? i see some similarities, but their relationship to me is extremely different, in a cool and interesting way!

hero is the older brother. he is around three years older than kel i believe, and he is responsible, charming, dorky, and the poor guy is a bit of a people-pleaser. he has a strong passion for cooking, and he loves taking care of his friends and his brother, making sure that everyone's safe and happy. he takes on the role of the sort of parental friend alongside his late girlfriend, mari, and he always acts with a royalty-like decorum.

until his girlfriend passes away, and he is left all alone.

hero blames himself. he hates himself for not being there for his girlfriend in her last moments. he thinks it's all his fault that she's dead to begin with. and he starts to become very, very depressed. he stops cooking and decides to give in to his parents pressuring him to go to college (for either medicine or law, i don't remember). he can't get out of bed. he can't move on. he's frozen in time.

eventually, hero heals with the help of his large support system. being an extremely likeable person, hero has a lot of people by his side as he struggles with mari's death. and when he's able to, he tries hard to be there like he was before. to be responsible, to be charming, to be the perfect oldest child, the perfect friend, the perfect son. everything has to be shining and perfect, and- oh, he's still in the trenches and he's pretending to cope when really, his grief is taking on the form of intense perfectionism? oh dang, okay, then.

but in all seriousness, hero's story is one that shows that healing is not always linear and that everything is not as it seems. he's also such a sweetheart, and i love how he tries so hard to support kel and his friends through everything.

speaking of kel! let's talk about him! now kel is not my favorite character, but he's far and away the most similar to me. he's sporty, he's got energy for days, he never thinks before he speaks, he does crazy shit, he's curious, he explores, he always tries to find the how, the why, and the solution. he's a problem solver and a go-getter.

the problem?

everything he's expected to do, every problem he's expected to solve, hero's done it already.

hero is clearly the child who gets more positive attention in the family, and kel can't deny that he deserves it. hero gets perfect grades, he's so kind and smart and gentle and perfect, how is kel supposed to keep up?

it's heavily implied that kel has some form of adhd. he struggles with sitting still and impulse control, he feels very strongly about fairness and justice. he struggles in school, but adores being active and playing sports like basketball. kel is the kind of person who tries so hard, even though things don't come easy.

and he is endlessly loyal. honestly, i think that's one of kel's biggest flaws. he's very loyal, to the point where he'll support somebody who's blatantly wrong just because they're his friend. while this is a bit of a dangerous trait to have, it is admirable in its own way because this makes kel a very trustworthy person. it's easy to tell where one stands with kel. he isn't the kind to be a very convincing faker.

he and hero seem very different, but they truly fit together like a glove. despite occasional tensions, they love each other more than life, and their weaknesses and strengths balance out so beautifully. kel tries to pull hero out of perfectionism, convincing him to relax and enjoy life instead of stressing over whether or not everything is perfect. hero reassures kel that he's enough, no matter what people say. hero makes sure that kel gets all the love and attention he deserves, since he knows the playing field isn't even, and he knows that it's not right.

i just love them.

i love all three of them so much.

thank you for asking!! this was so fun to make!

[atopvisenyashill]

Do you think Rhae Targaryen might’ve married a Hightower? It seems like a sensible match and it might explain where Alerie and Lynesse got their looks from.

First of all, thank you for giving me a chance to speculate about mysterious timeline shenanigans, it’s my favorite pastime lmao. 

Second of all - it IS a theory I like, yes, and I also kind of like how it plays with the history of Targaryen women, but especially with a potential namesake for Rhae: Rhaena of Pentos and her own happy Hightower marriage, which is the other big theory about why the Hightowers look suspiciously Targaryen-ish. Gives me hope both ladies were happy in their marriages <3

Thirdly - okay i’m gonna over analyze here, let’s buckle in. 

Targaryen Princess marriages tend to fall into a few categories. There’s the most obvious brother-sister, first cousin, or uncle-niece marriages. For that category there is Visenya, Rhaenys, Alysanne, Jocelyn, Alyssa, Aemma, Daena, Naerys, Aelora, Daenora, Shaera, and Rhaella. 

For marriages outside the family, they tend to marry a family with Valyrian heritage  - Alyssa Velaryon’s second marriage, Rhaenys, Rhaenyra, Baela, Rhaelle, and probably Elaena’s marriage to Ronnel Penrose is in this category as well.

The last category is the fun one - when they marry someone without Valyrian heritage OR a vassal, they tend towards rich, powerful, and ancient families, who have been hanging around KL a lot. To break it down: 

Daella married Rodrik Arryn, a Lord Paramount who had been at court since Alysanne and Jaehaerys were young. 

Viserra is engaged to Theomore Manderly, NOT a Lord Paramount but a powerful, ancient, and well connected family & Theomore was friends with Aly & Jaehaerys when they were young. 

Rhaenyra has an affair with Harwin Strong, the heir to a powerful, ancient, and rich house, whose dad is on the Small Council so he’s in KL constantly & gets a job there instead of at home. 

Shaera is engaged to (though she does not marry) Luthor Tyrell, the heir to a Lord Paramount. 

Rhaena of Pentos is basically our One complete exception to a lot of these rules for Targaryen women marrying - she marries twice, both times to a house that is not the lord paramount for their region, and both times are likely to be kinda controversial. Firstly, because the Corbrays are old but broke, and secondly, because Garmund is a Hightower. We don’t know why she married Garmund, but what interests me is Corwyn, despite being of a lower status than Rhaena, is at KL constantly because his brother is on the council of regents, similar to Harwin, Rodrik, and Theomore (makes me wonder if she meets Garmund because the Hightowers try to get back into politics once Aegon III no longer has a regent).

All that to say - we know Daella (Egg’s Daella) and Rhae are both in this category and that’s FASCINATING to me. We have no real context for how they marry, or when, or for what reasons and there’s so many fun outcomes here. 

It’s easy to guess who Daella marries - the Evenstar, though she has Dunk’s baby - just based off of a few clues, but we have no idea if she marries for love (and then falls out of love), if she marries for politics, because she’s pregnant and needs a proper wedding now right now, etc., and I’m really excited to get to this, i NEED more dunk & egg because i NEED to watch Dunk and Daella fall in love so badly. 

And then, per your ask, we have Rhae!! 

Besides Rhaena, she’s the only married but unaccounted for Targaryen who could explain why Alerie and Lynesse potentially look Targaryen-ish. Rhaena is way far back, but we know that the silver and gold hair can crop up sometimes later on - Valarr Targaryen had a streak of silver despite having a brown haired mother, father, and grandmother. I actually think it would be fun if both of them married into the Hightowers, Rhaena through the female line and Rhae by marrying the heir, to explain the coloring, but Rhae by herself is still a good option. Too much math here but - Leyton was probably born between 230-250, which matches up with Selwyn Tarth, born in 245, and Selwyn’s grandmother being Daella, born in 199, therefore Rhae probably married Leyton’s grandfather, mayyyyyyybe his father, so Hightowers having Valyrian features as Rhae’s great-grandkids isn’t a huge stretch, esp with Andals being so fair haired in general. BUT, as I laid out above, the female lines tend to intermingle again later down the line, like with the Penroses, and with the Rhaenyra-Laenor match. if Rhae marries a House that already has Valyrian blood (like Elaena did), that also explains why the Hightowers are a lil Targaryen-ish, and even fits with the patterns of Targaryen marriages as well.

I think it’s likely that whoever they marry would be someone who is at Court often, perhaps serving on the Small Council or their parent serves on the Small Council, or has a friendship with Maekar or Aerys. And even makes sense, because lowkey the reigns of Aerys I - Aegon V are super messy and full of marriage drama, and what’s better than a Targaryen princess making eyes at a cute, silver haired Hightower lord while her daddy is dealing with a Peake uprising, I ask you. 

Anyways, yes, very excited for Rhae, I desperately want her to have married a Hightower with love on the mind because I think both Targ Lady-Hightower Lord marriages going well when the two Targ King-Hightower Queen marriages are notoriously shitty, would be really funny. Also, watch me smoosh Dragon Twins references into every other Targaryen sister relationship until George himself stops me!!

[researchgate]

Feel free to ignore if this is an annoying ask but I really need advice on something and unfortunately I live somewhere with a nonexistent Jewish community to seek advice from. My little sister (7) has been dealing with some heavy-handed antisemitism at school, kids calling her a murderer or saying she/her family kills Palestinians, telling her that "her people" need to get out of Israel, things like that. My mother has talked to the teacher and to the principal and the overall statement that's been given is like "oh well, it's normal for kids to talk about political matters since their parents probably talk about it at home, it's not a big deal, kids repeat things they don't understand all the time, they're not actually being malicious".

As a result from the way she's being treated at school though, my little sister now wants absolutely nothing to do with her heritage, literally full-on crying telling our mother that she won't celebrate Chanukah this year because she doesn't want to be evil and if she engages in Jewish practices everyone will hate her for being evil. Both me and my mom are at a complete loss on what to do and nothing we've tried so far as comforted her, do you have any recommendations on anything positive relating to Judaism that we could show/do for my sister? Because she's completely convinced that she and us are all terrorists and she's at the point where she hasn't even been to school in 2 weeks because she's terrified she'll upset everyone just by her being there. It's been really horrible and I don't have anyone IRL to ask, again feel free to ignore if I'm being annoying by dumping my problems on you! ^^

You're not annoying at all! I'll try my best to answer your question here.

Firstly, I think you need to be honest with her and tell her that even if she doesn't celebrate anything, she'll still be viewed as Jewish, so the anger and hate will still be there regardless of whether or not she celebrates her heritage or even just acknowledges it. It's a hard pill to swallow, especially when you're that young, but I think it's an age by which most Jewish kids learn this hard truth. Wouldn't it be more fun to at least celebrate chanukah then? Even if she won't celebrate it they'll still treat her badly, so better at least have some light.

Now, as for positive things, I think you can talk about the survivability of the Jewish people, how, despite persecution and hatred, we survived thanks to our recognition of who we are. We didn't let it get lost, we always remembered ourselves.

There are many Jewish figures that did important things, too. Despite their small percentage in the world (~0.2%), Jews are 22% of all recipients of the Nobel prize, across both science and humanities.

Several successful comedians and satire writers were and are Jewish, despite all the bad we've been through in the past, we still find things to laugh about, and in doing so, we make other people, not necessarily Jews, laugh and happy.

Right now it feels very dark and scary. It is indeed, it's not just an individual, personal feeling. And without our community, us jews are alone, as we'll never be truly accepted into other communities unless we forego everything that makes us us, and even then the acceptance is conditional and short-lived. Not acknowledging her heritage will distance her from the community she does have, and not get her closer to another community, so it is better to at least keep the community she has naturally.

I will also tag @hero-israel, @pothead-paisan, and any of my followers who's Jewish, to possibly give even more ideas.

[londonspirit]

Inside Rita Ora and Taika Waititi’s Intimate, Never-Before-Seen Los Angeles Wedding

“She proposed to me, and I said yes instantly,” filmmaker Taika Waititi says of how he and singer-songwriter Rita Ora became engaged. While the pair first met at a barbecue in 2018 that Taika hosted at his house in L.A., it wasn’t until 2021, when they were both filming in Australia, that they began dating. Rita popped the question while the pair were on vacation in Palm Springs in the summer of 2022, and they planned an impromptu wedding to be held in Los Angeles a few weeks later, on August 4. “It wasn’t in London or in France like everyone reported,” Taika clarifies. “It was in L.A. with a small group of friends.”

“At our home!” Rita notes.

“Our address was…no, I’m just joking,” Taika says, laughing.

Over the past year, the two have gotten a kick out of the misinformation about their nuptials that has spread like wildfire across the internet. “It’s actually been quite entertaining for us to see the different stories people made up and all the while getting to keep it to ourselves,” Rita admits. “And, I love that we now get to share what really happened—and to do it on our one-year anniversary, no less!”

As far as the planning process goes, there wasn’t one: The entire event was dreamed up and executed in just two weeks. “There were about eight people there—just close friends and family, and parents on Zoom,” Taika says, noting he was particularly thrilled to have his best friend Jemaine Clement fly all the way over from New Zealand for the last-minute ceremony. “It was really us and my sister, Elena,” Rita says. “Elena to the rescue!”

The bride wore a Tom Ford dress and Lorraine Schwartz jewels for the intimate ceremony. “Tom Ford is one of my favorite designers of all time and favorite humans in general,” Rita says. “He’s now one of my close friends, and I adore and admire him so much. To get married in his dress was a dream come true. And because it wasn’t planned, I didn’t know if the right dress was even going to be in town, and I just took the risk and went to the Tom Ford shop, and they had it perfectly waiting with the veil, in my size, no alterations needed to be done. I mean, it was like it was meant to be, to be honest. And it just made me so happy.”

Sami Knight styled the bride’s hair in soft, loose curls, and Anthony H. Nguyen created a natural, glowy makeup look. Meanwhile, the groom wore Brunello Cucinelli (and received a touch-up or two from Rita’s makeup artist along the way).

For the ceremony itself, the couple kept things simple. “I wore my mum’s pearls that she got married in. My sister, Elena, put [the bracelet] on my wrist. It was beautiful,” Rita says. “My sister walked me down the aisle, and it was just really simple and blissful and calm and private and fun.”

“Yeah, it was beautiful,” Taika adds. “Just having close friends and not having it too big. We didn’t have table settings or any of the stressful things that go along with weddings, and it was nice to just have it super-simple. My daughters were there, and they made everything really fun and easy: I think just because we didn’t have the pressure of having caterers and all of these things, you know, people turning up late, and all of the different moving parts.”

“I felt really peaceful actually,” Rita says. “It was almost like another day. We just all dressed up and got married.”

After the ceremony, Rita and Taika went to their friend Guy Oseary’s house for a dinner party. “He was so kind to host us at the last minute,” says Rita. “We got a group of people together, and we just had a great time!” As a surprise wedding gift from a friend, an Elvis impersonator showed up to serenade them, before everyone danced the night away to a playlist of the couple’s own making.

A year later, they both are still reveling in newlywed bliss. “It’s still working!” Taika exclaims. “I can’t believe it’s been a year.”

“Same. I can’t believe it’s been a year,” Rita says. “It feels like nothing’s changed since the day I met him at the barbecue. It just feels so good to be with my best friend.”

[pbandjesse]

Celia just left! It was so nice to have her over. Today was a bit exhausting though. Mostly because it was warm. But wearing a linen dress was absolutely the move. Like yes I could have been in less clothes but the dress was pretty cool and I was able to be fairly comfortable all day.

I slept alright. Not the best. I don't remember James leaving for work. But they would let me know when they were safely there. For some reason the alert I had set to tell me that isn't doing it right now which is annoying but it's fine.

I would get up at 745 and was dressed and out the door by 8. I had permed my lashes last night and the glue was not completely off of my eyes which felt very strange. I would have to peel it off because I wasn't supposed to get water in them for 24 hours. The new brand I got for sure was an easier time. The glue worked better. But it left more leftover glue on my lids which was weird. I don't think they are as intense but that might have just been the type of lid guard thing I used. Next time I'll try one of the other sizes.

I would get to hunt valley to pick up the crew. And we ended up having a really really excellent conversation. About history and war and media. Like it was such a good conversation. I told them I was listening to a podcast about Thomas Jefferson and why he sucks. And that lead to talking about history repeating itself. Which lead to talk about the current genocide in Gaza. And that eventually lead to American Gods, the show, and how black characters were represented. It was just really awesome. Ray said he would take a class to listen to me and I was very very flattered.

It would be a very productive day. I let Heather know I did not need a crew and would be working at my laptop. Callie was currently at my desk so I was a little flustered not knowing where to start quite yet. Kieran accidentally elbowed me in the head. Oops. But then I got my table back and got to work.

I mainly was working on the name tags and the layout for printing those. I would have 70 done by lunch. I had some people helping with adding the lanyards on but mainly this was my project. Some people's were funny like "your majesty" "queen" and while I still printed those Elizabeth says they have to have their actual name on the other side. We have to be the fun police a bit I guess.

It was nice to get away from my computer and I went up to arts to sit with friends and talk. I told some of the girls the story about me and James getting engaged and all the tragedy and drama around that. My dad being in the hospital. My sister passing away. The first day of camp. My first time sleeping at camp. Just so much happened. It was nice to tell the story though.

Merrin also told me about Jorge!! Jorge from last summer. They are dating now and apparently he still talks about me all the time. I can't wait til he's back. He's great. I cannot wait to have his group in art again.

I would have lunch in the office and sit with Callie. I read my book while she worked on forms. And eventually she would head back to painting at the latrine. And I would go up to arts to unpack boxes with Jeci. The boys were nice enough to deliver all my supplies for me. It was super helpful. And it was just nice working with Jeci. He is very sweet.

And it was nice to get all the materials sorted for my projects. I think I have everything now and it makes me feel really ready for the year.

I had really hoped that my lesson writing and supply buying would alleviate the pressure on the other specialties too but so far that's only half true.

Aaron still wants to do some of his own writing but he did say today he's expanding on my lessons. Good. It's not even that I care about my lessons so much vanity wise, but I just don't understand stressing yourself out writing new stuff. I'm just worried that he's going to burn himself out.

I had been sorting beads for an hour but then our new staff member, Corrina, came and I was thrilled to meet her. She is going to be the early American culture teacher (EAC for short) and she is a teacher already so she's going to do great. I showed her around camp. We sat down and looked at the binder I made. She said she was very impressed. And that was very flattering. We would walk all around and chat about the program and camp itself. When we got back to the office we ran into Kieran and he would drive us around the rest of camp on the gator. Eventually dropping me off at the art building. Corrina would walk back to the chickee to investigate her materials and he would stay with me for a bit to talk about the program and the changes. Both positive and negative. Things he is worried about and things we might change. And like I keep saying. I will change whatever. But there is only so much I can do if they want all these new programs. Like I can't make more time in a day. Im doing my best with the hours of the day I have.

But it was nice talking and venting about the weird stuff. But then it was 430 and it was time to go.

I stopped at the office (in my car) and said bye to Alexi, Elizabeth, and Heather. Checked about my plans for tomorrow and then was off. Into absolutely horrible traffic. Almost an hour!!

I listened to my podcast and tried to just enjoy the beautiful clouds. But I didn't want to be in the car anymore and was so happy to be home.

When I got inside James was listening to their podcast. I gave them a big kiss and went to say hi to sweetp. We put Crabcake outside. I cleaned the frog tank of some dirt and snails. Noticed that one of the frogs is shedding and it looked like he was wearing a little hoodie. So cute. Then I went to wash my face and put new lotion on before I went to sit outside with a pretzel stick and a soda.

Crabcake was making a whole lot of noise in the tank outside. Silly boy.

While I was out there I had decided to text Charlie and he actually texted me right back. It's been forever and I miss him dearly. We exchanged some pictures about our lives right now. He's in New Mexico and while he went through some tough times he's finding his way and things are beautiful right now. I'm so happy to hear that. I really hope I see him soon. Summer camp memories are always going to be intertwined with him for sure.

I was just enjoying laying on the swing. But then Celia was here! I was excited to have her meet Crabcake. She has some feedback about the enclosures. Thankfully already stuff I knew needed improvement. I told her about my grater plans for both inside and outside enclosures. And we all just sat on the ground chilling and talking. It was fun.

Eventually we flipped a coin if James would come join us for dinner (tails: James tags along, head:James heads home) and it was decided me and Celia would go alone. And James would stay home and do James things.

We went to mystic burrito. A place in highland town I wanted to try. I got their cheesey loaded nacho style French fries. She got the same but actually nachos. It was nice to sit and talk but I was also tired and struggling to hold the conversation at times. So it was really nice to just sit and listen to her talk about her job and working at a state park. Running into a childhood friend. The sexual dimorpha of sparrows. Creating a program about the Susquehannok people. It was really nice to listen.

When we got back to the house we had popsicles on the couch while James played a video game. We talked about books we like. And I bought a little series on eBay on her recommendation. It was a calm evening but also just really fun.

She left before 930. She should be getting home now. I went and took a shower while James got Sweetp inside and got our bed all ready for sleep. Where I am going to go to now.

Tomorrow is the last day of the week of work projects! It still feels like there is so much to be done. But also we did so much. I hope it is a good and productive day. Wish us luck. I love you all. Good night!!