#Australia can find better judges

[not-poignant]

Hi Pia

Feel free to ignore if this is unwelcome, but have you ever thought about publishing traditionally to sublimate your income and draw in new readers? I know you've self published two books already and that you didn't feel like they did very well, but maybe the experience would be different if someone else was in charge of marketing and all the other business stuff?

Obviously everyone's experience is different but as an author myself who's published both trad and self, traditional publishing has been a completely different experience and has allowed me to focus more on writing because I'm not the one responsible for advertising/marketing/financing anymore.

There are a ton of literary agents nowadays that want to represent diverse and lgbtqia+ fiction, some of them even in Australia.

Websites like Reedsy, AgentQuery and Jerichowriters have extensive directories to find literary agents.

(This is lengthy folks so I'm putting the other two parts (and my response) under a read more! Also putting it under a read more so the anon can skip my response since it's very 'here's all the reasons I can't do this' and they just might not want to read that, lmao)

(continued -> )

Trad publishing houses have better resources for marketing and helping authors get more attention than any self publishing website could.

Obviously most authors, unless they're really prolific, don't get a huge advance (the average is between $1000 - $5000) but getting your foot in the door or on the traditional publishing "ladder' so to speak can have a huge benefit for your serials. Because it gives you more exposure. Plus it's in the agent's best interest to find a publishing house that accepts stories that contain darker themes and negotiate the best deal for you.

For some reason places like Amazon and the like accept and keep up more "dark" books that are traditionally published than they do with self pub ones. Maybe because they have more respect or leniency for publishing houses? I have no idea. But you could use this to your advantage. I think I remember you mentioning that writing novels felt quite isolating to you? But you already have 2 completed novels (3 if you count the fae one) that you could potentially revisit or rewrite to your liking and get them represented by agents.

You already have a loyal readership and that's very attractive to trad pub houses and agents.

As well as trad publishing, you could also make s simple website that doesn't require much maintenance. It could be just a landing page that says something about you and then has links to your tumblr and patreon where you're more active. That way you increase the chances of getting your serials found by additional readers and also come across looking more "professional". Not that you're not professional now. You are and I admire you greatly, but the unfortunate reality is a lot of people still judge by appearances and some will be more drawn to an author's website than a tumblr page, at least at first. So I think having a simple landing page would open up another door for you to benefit from.

Trad publishing is work but definitely not as much as self publishing, and you can continue on with your serials. Getting an agent can be time consuming but I personally believe the pros outweigh the cons and I also believe that your stories would be a huge treasure to the growing lgbtqia+ market. Seriously there needs to be more!

These are just suggestions and thoughts and like I said before, feel free to ignore. But I know you've mentioned wanting to grow your career in the past and I genuinely believe you can do so with some of these pathways.

~

Okay, my response. Posting this because firstly I think the suggestions could work very well for other authors reading this! And I hope they take the advice to note, and secondly because I haven't talked about this for a hot minute so let's talk about it again.

So the TL;DR is yes I have considered traditional publishing. I have actually been traditionally published in short stories, poetry, and also had my art published on covers and re: interior illustrations. But my Fae Tales works got soundly rejected when I sent them to publishing houses that were doing open calls for that sort of material. I've never heard back from an agent and I never expect to, heh.

~

Now for a bit more detail

I have been traditionally published before (it's how I got my writing out there long before I ever wrote serials), and yes, I have approached publishers with my writing since then. In fact Tradewinds was written for the traditional publishing market, and it got soundly rejected, and then shelved. The reasons it was rejected ran the gamut from 'I don't like that these fae eat humans no one is going to relate to these people' (while the editor then went on to publish vampire books idk) to 'There's too much worldbuilding you can't expect readers to keep up with this' to 'Your stories are too long, no one wants to read characters talking all the time.'

Meanwhile in my online serials I was getting feedback like 'my favourite chapters are the ones where the characters just sit in a room and talk' lol.

The traditional publishing world is also not quite as utopian for most authors as you make it seem. I'm friends with a lot of authors who are traditionally published because that's the world I came from, and unless they're solely in KU and doing generic rapid release formula romances, none of them are making that much money. Certainly not enough to live off. It may have been that you were very fortunate, anon, but I know hundreds more traditionally published authors that left trad pub to make money, and I know about 5 in trad pub personally who are making enough to live off of.

Only one of those is really writing what she truly loves to write, and even then, publishing houses have refused to commit to her entire fantasy series (and she's regularly in 'Top 10/20 Women Fantasy Authors in the World' lists) and forced her to finish the series prematurely. Something I never ever have to worry about in self pub.

The reality is that in trad pub these days, you're still in charge of most of your marketing unless you're one of the big earners for the publishing house. In fact I'd be expected to keep even more of a social media and marketing presence than I do now. I don't do almost any of the things you're supposed to do as an author in marketing to be appealing. I don't have a Facebook author account. I don't have an Instagram author account. I don't maintain or regularly send out newsletters (which automatically puts me in the like 0.05% of authors who make money doing this lmao).

I don't know if you ever have looked that closely into what m/m publishing houses expect from most of their authors, but the newsletter swaps, cover releases, review circuits, interview circuits and more are fucking grueling. We're expected to be responsible for our advertising and our marketing to a fairly massive degree. Some traditionally published in m/m still have to pay for their release blitzes out of pocket. These publishing houses, by and large, do not offer advances. You say most authors don't get large advances. I don't think most authors in this arena get offered advances at all unless they're somehow miraculously acquired by a Big 4.

We're expected to have an already established social media presence because of that (that's why it's so appealing to publishers that we have social media presences already, anon, so we can market, they can save money, and we still see only a minimal cut from the royalties).

And you still have to focus on your finances, because publishing houses like Dreamspinner straight up didn't pay a whole bunch of authors for so long they destroyed careers. They still haven't paid some of their authors. And they're still running a business and people still buy their books.

Trad publishing houses have better resources for marketing and helping authors get more attention than any self publishing website could.

This is true if a) they're a big publishing house and not an indie publisher of which most LGBTQIA+ publishing houses are and b) they're willing to use them on you.

The authors that make the most money get the most resources. If they believe you're going to earn back your advance and move thousands or tens of thousands of units per book, then yes, you will get those resources.

I have been told so many times now - even from friends who run publishing houses, including one who works at HarperCollins - that my work will never be mainstream enough to have broad appeal. They literally told me not to keep trying re: trad pub, because that was my dream for a long time. These folks have given me rock solid advice in the past, it's one of the reasons I'm doing so well now via Patreon + Ream. But they were like (paraphrasing) 'you don't write 60-80k romances and you don't want to and that's not your strength anyway, you're multi-genre which makes you hard to market, you write psychological and literary trauma recovery which is hard to market, you write character studies which are hard to market, publishing houses often don't commit to series anymore if the first two don't move units and if they pulled the plug you'd be contractually obliged to never finish that series until your contract was up.' I could go on, but it was like yeah...actually. Fair.

For some reason places like Amazon and the like accept and keep up more "dark" books that are traditionally published than they do with self pub ones. Maybe because they have more respect or leniency for publishing houses?

They do, but most publishing houses want very formulaic dark romance which is not what I write.

I have a 300k omegaverse slowburn that still hasn't had any penetrative sex in it, anon. Publishing houses don't want that. They don't expect anyone will wait 4 full length novels to get to literally a single penetrative sex scene.

But you already have 2 completed novels (3 if you count the fae one) that you could potentially revisit or rewrite to your liking and get them represented by agents.

If I rewrote them to my liking, trad pub wouldn't want them. They'd be too long! I think agents etc. take one look at me and go 'oh god, no thank you!' I'm not an easy sell, by any means.

Plus I'm very e.e about all of that with the knowledge that they then give me only about 10-15% of the royalties on the sales, vs. self-pub where I get around 70%, or subscription where I around 80% of it. When someone subscribes to me, they don't have to worry about 85-90% of their subscription fee going to a publishing house. I don't have to think about how many thousands and thousands of books I'd have to sell to make the same amount that I do now via subscription.

As well as trad publishing, you could also make s simple website that doesn't require much maintenance.

If it was that simple, I'd be doing it. I don't mean this in a facetious way, I mean it in a: I've made a lot of websites, in fact I run one at the moment not connected to my writing (I've been running it for so long it's now in its 20s and can probably has a driver's license). I find it so tedious that I barely remember to check in on it. But forgetting about it means there's always maintenance to keep up with when I get back to it.

Running websites is simpler than it used to be, but it's still not simple. There's hosting and hosting costs, there's server changes, there's back-end maintenance etc. I'm considering it for down the track, but there's a reason I decided to go the route of Patreon over my own site. There are authors (like Christopher Hopper) who actually do subscription through their own domain, but it's a lot of work.

Even placeholder sites are still work. They need updating, details change, story titles changing etc. Maintaining my Patreon + Ream About pages is enough, they're always both a little out of date, lol.

Not that you're not professional now.

Oh no, I mean from a 'traditional publisher looking at me to see what kind of candidate I am' I'm really not though. Like I said, I don't have the newsletter (100 subscribers who get one newsletter a year is not really a newsletter), I don't have the Facebook/Tiktok/Insta/Twitter/Bluesky/Threads accounts, etc. I write multi-genre across multiple steam levels, and I'm allergic to writing serials shorter than 150k. One of my best performing original serials was an 800k contemporary story with no sex in it but a lot of BDSM. It can't be marketed as clean or sweet, it's not high steam, an entire chapter is 'boy saves snail from rain.' Also he was cruel to animals, so not exactly what I'd call a sympathetic main.

And yet that story did so well for me via Patreon + Ream, because people want the kinds of stories that publishing houses generally don't want and I happen to be writing them.

Trad publishing is work but definitely not as much as self publishing, and you can continue on with your serials. Getting an agent can be time consuming but I personally believe the pros outweigh the cons and I also believe that your stories would be a huge treasure to the growing lgbtqia+ market. Seriously there needs to be more!

Anon I just literally do not believe an agent would want to represent me. I have 0% belief in that. Not from a self-deprecating angle but from a 'I am not a good bet for the trad market' perspective. From a 'I have so many friends who are trad pubbed authors who stare at me like I'm insane for writing serials as long as I do' perspective. From a 'professionals in the industry have told me it's amazing I'm doing so well in serials because there's no way they'd take a risk on what I'm doing' perspective. From a 'just because it's queer and diverse doesn't mean it hits literally any other thing a trad pub is looking for' perspective. I've been doing this for 10 years. There are agents who represent work similar to mine who know what I'm doing and wouldn't touch me with a ten foot pole. They're not missing out on a trick, they know I'm not broad appeal, and they're right.

Also the only way I'd have the energy to manage trad pub is by quitting serials. And honestly, I never found trad pub all that much fun while I was doing it for non-novel stuff. It was fine, and it is nice to have my stuff out there, but it was a ton of admin and a lot of going back and forth between people who really only care about marketing a product, and that's great and what they excel at! But I'm too disabled to turn this job into something crushing just to potentially make more money, I'd rather just quit and go back onto a full Disability Pension. I can't see any way I still get to write the stories I want to write, in the way that I write them, and be remotely appealing to a single reputable trad pub or agent.

Also *gestures to everything in this article*

[icanseethefuture333]

Hi Desi ! Can i ask you who is stray kids would date a woc of different ethnicities ? Thank you :)

Oop! 😳 Time to spill some more tea then 🤭

MTL to date a WOC outside of Korea in Stray Kids:

(According to my pendulum, based off of their current energy / preferences)

Felix

I.N

Bang Chan

Changbin

Seungmin

Han

Hyunjin

Lee Know

Top row:

Left is Bang Chan, center is I.N, and right is Felix

Bang chan's reasoning for being third most likely is because he's very sexually enticed by woc outside of his race. They peak his interest and finds them attractive. I am pretty sure he's been with them before. Some of you guys might not want to hear this but it's giving he wants to soar his oats with just about anybody 🫣. I'm not really getting any romantic feelings, so he seems non committal or he would date a foreigner, but would really have to think about if he'd marry one. He's not really mature yet long term for a cross cultural or interracial relationship. Bang Chan is still ignorant in some areas of other cultures (he just wants to fuck 🥱). It's just giving like he is aware of other people's culture and then when dating someone who's not from the same culture, it's like he think would make a better partner than someone hasn't before. A know it all who doesn't really know it all ifykwim. When its like he can't hold any of his relationships down, he constantly searches for new beginnings or the next thing sexually (for any Bang Chan fans ready to fight don't be arguing with me on anon in my inbox!!! This is his energy for now, he's in his fuckboy era, do not put the blame on me for this! Sometimes we won't always hear the most pure or positive messages about our faves and that is okay)

Ngl I.N surprised me 😳 even though I did channeled before that his future spouse was someone that had dual citizenships (Korean and British). I was pleased to hear what his response was on dating a woc outside of his country or race. I.N's view on dating a woc that isn't Korean is quite positive. He shows admiration for them and has more pure intentions than I would say in comparison to Bang Chan (💀 I mean no shade??? but eh, I said what I said). I.N would be very supportive and willing to learn about his partner's culture or traditions. He honestly wouldn't care as long as they have similar family structures. I.N is rebellious by nature, so he just cares about his happiness and the happiness of his loved ones.

Felix's reasoning for being most likely to date a woc is given the fact he feels like he is an outsider in his own country and culture as well. He is Korean, but doesn't feel Korean enough? Felix resonates more with how he grew up in Australia and misses that lifestyle. There is water here and what seems like a beach. Felix could outpour a lot of love towards people that are different from him now and doesn't judge based off of racial stereotypes. Being able to travel overseas and meet new people has allowed him to open his mind and broaden his horizons. It's almost as if he was limiting himself in some areas (caring too much about labels, what's Korean, what's not Korean, what makes him Australian or what doesn't make him Australian). Controversial maybe??? Felix could feel more loved and respected by woc outside of Korea (I laughed I'm sorry 💀). There is a cultural difference so maybe they are more expressive with their love language where as in Korea they show it differently (I.E: a foreign woc might be affectionate and show physical touch, where a Korean woman would exchange gifts). Felix's view on dating woc could be more so a romantic fantasy or he likes the relationships he's seen in movies, television, or music videos. I channeled this before in a reading for him but I always think of Harry Styles and his Grammy's performance for "As It Was" to be his ideal romance. (Felix fr just as delulu as the rest of us LMAOOO 🤧)

Middle row:

Left is Changbin, center is Seungmin, and right is Han

Changbin is down for whatever honestly 💀. He's not the type to search for love but more so takes action only if he wants to experience it. He's romantic in general so if anyone could handle him and his quirks, then he's happy. Changbin would be very charming. I feel like he just needs the opportunity to meet a woc? I don't think he's ever dated a woc outside of Korea fr. "I had the plan, I just needed the platform" type of energy 🤣

Seungmin would be a hot mess I'm sorry 💀 I'm not even gonna sugarcoat it. It's like he wants to but he's not doing it based off of realistic decisions. It's more so he has an idea of what it's like to date a woc outside of Korea, but he's not focusing on the sentimental value of what it means to be in a relationship. Seungmin is very picky in general and makes romantic decisions based off of his illusions (another delulu??? Free the Virgos please). So because of his high expectations he would not be able to form long lasting connections. Also woc could be turned off by his behavior as well, they would most likely call him out or reject him because he's not mature enough. They won't tolerate it. Seungmin would just get his feelings hurt but it would be his own fault for being so damn sassy all the time 😂. He is stubborn though, so he would keep trying until he learns his lesson and also he finds the right person who can match his energy. The person he dates would require a looooot of patience because he is not easy to deal with. Very chaotic energy, but funny!

The reason Han is one of the members who is least likely is because he is more shy and introverted. So going up to a person and asking them out in general is not his thing. If Han were to date a woc that wasn't Korean, he'd have to be most likely friends first. "I have anxiety bruh." (💀). He'd want to take his time and get to know the person regardless of what their race is. I don't think he has much of a preference, it's just about who he's attracted to within that time. Han would be protective of his partner though and would express his love through gifts, money, etc.

Bottom row:

Left is Hyunjin & right is Lee Know

Hyunjin for being one of the members who is least likely to date a non-Korean woc is because he is very traditional. Whenever I do readings regarding his love life he always makes this very clear. He finds some woc (yes I said some because it's not a large number of woc he likes💀) beautiful, but it's not something he wants to go through all the trouble for. Too tedious for his liking. Hyunjin's fanbase is mostly in Korea as well so he could focus more on that because that is the attention he is used to getting from, so he cares more about catering to his fans, his family's expectations, as well as his own personal preferences. It's like he's not closed off to the idea, but Hyunjin doesn't like change. He prefers to stick to what he knows and situations that are predictable. To try being in a cross cultural or interracial relationship, it would make Hyunjin really anxious, nervous, and uncomfortable, because it is a type of environment he is not used to. I can say for sure say he's only ever dated a woman who was Korean or of Asian descent. Hyunjin would have to work on his confidence and care more about his own thoughts than other people's thoughts in order to be with a woc that wasn't Korean.

Lee Know is somewhat similar to Hyunjin's response, with a nicer approach. In his opinion, he feels like it requires courage to be in a relationship with a woc outside of Korea. He believes people who date someone that isn't the same race as them go through a lot of hardship. Channeled message: "I think if I was a father and my child looked like me, or looked like me a little less because they had features like their mama, whether their skin was maybe darker or their hair was a different texture. People would be very cruel and it would make me very upset as a dad. It's not a easy route to take. Maybe in the future when I am more brave I will think about it, as for now I am okay with being a coward!" (PLS 💀)

I hope you guys enjoyed this reading! I will be forming my own harem with these 4, take care besties 💋

[noodyl-blasstal]

I'll grab your balls if you grab mine (TAZNC day 3)

It's day 3 of @taznovembercelebration and today's card was "coworkers AU." Prepare to, once again, get your stupid on - it's gay chicken but also there's an aligator. You can read today's below or on Ao3, and read yesterday's here.

--

Kravitz starts the slow sideways shuffle towards the lake. "C'mon, Taako. I know that Artemis is probably here, but he might leave us alone today." Kravitz doesn’t really believe himself, but they have to go, they’ve been putting off the lake by hole number 8 for weeks and it’s a particularly lucrative spot.

"He won't." Taako says, resigned. "He never does. Smug bastard. He knows we're just doing our job and he doesn't give a shit. I’ve explained it to him, I’ve asked Garyl to as well. Nothing helps. He’s a bastard."

"I'm not sure he considers it that much, he's an alligator, he's not exactly au fait with the concept of people jobs." Kravitz has long vowed to stop trying to convince Taako that Artemis is just being an animal and not holding some specific grudge against them. The resolve always lasts until Taako started talking about it, at which point he forgets said vow until it’s far too late.

"What? You think he thinks we do this for fun? Just pop down to put a sight on nothing because you can see fuck all down there? Absolutely not. He knows this is work stuff, Krav. If he was angry about capitalism he could go chomp the bosses, nuh uh, this is about us taking his balls."

"You have to stop referring to our job as..."

"We're ball collectors, Krav, ball connoisseurs, ball grabbers, ball appreciators. Don't be embarrassed, I don't judge you, we’re good at it."

Kravitz wonders absently if putting on his mask early will make Taako stop. It won’t, he knows it won't, it wouldn't be the first time he'd tried it, but today could be his lucky day? Maybe if he shuffles faster into the lake it’ll stop him? But no, it's not safe to go down without Taako, they've got to set their watches and do all the health and safety stuff. Kravitz knows from experience that Taako can happily talk through it.

"It's absolutely fine to make a career of grabbing balls with your good friend Taako. Sometimes you even grab my balls."

"Taako!" Kravitz is going to expire, he was going to burst into dust and float away on the wind, and fucking Artemis would probably try and eat him anyway because he is a complete bastard, but Kravitz can't admit that to Taako because it'll only encourage him more. It wouldn’t be so bad if he could just hate Taako, go to Sloane’s after a hard day and complain about his awful coworker. No no, he had to find it charming.

"It's okay, you can admit it. You grab my balls and, honestly, I like it. Saves me a job." Taako's grinning his stupid big grin and there's pond weed tangling around Kravitz's fins, and he wishes more than anything that he was somewhere in Australia or something right now, clear water, a delightful reef, he could go murder the invasive starfish or something. Starfish assassin was a better job than ball grabber.

"Well, shall we get started then?" A valiant effort, he can keep them on track probably.

"Of course, I wouldn't want to keep you from all the balls you have to touch."

"Look, you're running out of material, if we dive now you can go out on a high."

"Fondle? I didn't say fondle yet."

"If you're fondling them then you're wasting time. There's a reason I always get the most."

"It's certainly not skill if you're rushing it." Taako wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. "Want me to talk you through the finer points of the process sometime?"

"I don't need to seduce the golf balls and my bedroom technique is fantastic thanks. Now get in the lake, Taako."

There's a loud splashing noise as Taako falls into the shallows cackling. Great. It takes him an age to calm down when he gets like this. "Fantastic... bedroom technique... Bedroom technique!" Is all Kravitz can hear repeated between the mirthful snorts. Kravitz thinks it might just be easier to let Artemis have his way with him at this point. If he dies in the line of duty then Taako will have to be nice about him, well, in public at least, he can say what he wants in private. They might build a statue too! It’d be in the middle of the lake or something, that's about the level of sensitivity he'd expect from their employers, but his Mums would probably appreciate it.

"You'll..." Taako throws a bit of pond weed off his stupid handsome face. "...have to show me that technique sometime, stud."

Kravitz freezes, not just because of the cold biting at his knees. He wishes the dry suits were warmer. "Did you just offer to go fuck me?"

"I offered to let you fuck me, actually. You can't go showing off and not being willing to back it up." Taako looks wildly unruffled, as if he hasn't just propositioned a co-worker on a Tuesday morning. Not that the day should matter, but honestly, it's Friday behaviour if anything.

"I... You..." Kravitz stands there like a particular stupid penguin. Maybe if he doesn't move Taako won't be able to see him... In his brightly coloured BCD with an oxygen tank strapped to his back... Fuck.

"Come on then Kravitz, we haven't got all day." Taako says breezily, finally back on his feet and crab stepping past Kravitz with a smug smile.

Fine. Fine! If Taako wants to be like this then Kravitz can match his energy. No problem. He can be fun, he can be playful. "Certainly not. Apparently we have plans tonight." He pushes forward into the lake, smiles as Taako coughs a surprised laugh behind him but doesn't give him time to reply. "Turn round, I forgot to tug your weight pouches on land."

Taako shuffles in what’s probably meant to be an alluring semicircle, he seems to be looking at Kravitz more intently than usual.

“Is that everything done, ‘cause Breathing Water Really Ain’t Fun!” Taako asks as Kravitz double checks his kit.

“We’re good, unless you need to inspect me?”

“Apparently Taako gets to do that later.” Taako says, then quickly launches himself into the water, splashing Kravitz in the face. Taako scrambles for his mask. “Get in loser, it’s lovely and warm!”

It is not lovely and warm. It’s cold and miserable. Kravitz's face however, is toasty warm from the blush burning there. He's surely not going to fuck Taako just to try and out fluster him… is he? Kravitz would like to. It’s not that he hasn’t thought about fucking Taako before, but Taako won't go along with it… will he? He hasn’t expressed any interest before now.

They do the last checks for loose straps or hoses and, satisfied, head down into the murk. Kravitz wonders, not for the first time, if his past self thought he'd be diving crystal clear waters somewhere fabulous by this point in his life, not using his scuba qualification to retrieve golf balls from gross man made lakes.

It's important to be relatively methodical, so they set off on their usual route, a slow backwards and forwards sweep of the lake bed. They can only see 15 feet in any direction , so it's slow going. They save the drop off for the end - the inexplicably deep portion attracts balls like a magnet. Why have an easy retrieval when you could have a hard one?

The bottom is so goopy, Kravitz truly detests it. Taako jokingly stuck a fin in one time and Kravitz still isn't convinced all the gunk came off. He hates having to reach in and grab the balls nestled in it - sinking so slowly that they always get to them before they're submerged (one time the bosses made them dig into the muck with a horrible plastic sieve to check, nothing seemed to penetrate the choking layer.)

There's still no sign of trouble when they're mid way through the ascent and Kravitz is starting to hope Artemis had decided to leave them alone today, miracles can happen. Maybe he has finally remembered that he's supposed to be nocturnal? Sadly, instead, Artemis has remembered he's supposed to lurk in the shallows.

Kravitz feels Taako yanking him violently before he even sees Artemis. His jaws snap at the space Kravitz left behind. A chunk of bubbles escape Taako and Kravitz can almost hear the swearing. Kravitz forces himself to breathe instead of holding it, the last thing he needs is to explode his lungs. He just has to not die in the next 10 minutes and he's getting laid apparently? Maybe Taako forgot, but either way, living would be good.

They look frantically around, stuck at their last levelling stop until the watches tell them they can move on. Artemis swoops back on Taako's side this time, but Taako is ready, jabs him in the side of the head where you're supposed to. Kravitz hates that management thought that the "how to fight an alligator" leaflet was more appropriate than safely relocating him to protect staff. It's not like they asked for them all to be moved, the others were fine. Garyl let Taako scritch his belly! It was just that Artemis was 'uniquely shit'. Kravitz is fairly sure that's the exact phrase Taako put in the latest complaint (to no avail).

Artemis disappears briefly, they hang in the water, waiting on the watches. Any minute now, surely? Kravitz looks hard into the murky waters trying to anticipate Artemis' next move. The watch beeps just as he strikes again, heading for Taako’s ankle this time. Kravitz stamps down as hard as he can (water and fins making this ‘not particularly hard’), it’s enough to distract Artemis though. He turns to snap at Kravitz instead, but Taako’s grabbing Kravitz’s arm and pulling him upwards. They finally break the surface and run, inelegant and flappy, hands tangled, laughing while pondweed snares their ankles and they tug each other along. Taako’s stood flamingo-like in the shallows, one hand on Kravitz’s shoulder for balance, the other trying to remove his fins, when Artemis surfaces again. They’re so close, so close to getting out. Kravitz refuses to let Taako getting eaten get in the way of whatever is going on between them right now. Fuck it. He grabs Taako and slings him over his shoulder - grateful for the fire evacuation training they did, there’s no way he could carry him any other way right now. Okay, so maybe he forgot to factor in the extra weight they’re both wearing and how fucking awkward the tanks make this, but it’s fine, he doesn’t have to go far. He keeps his knees high, makes sure he gets enough clearance on his fins and runs as fast (very slowly) as possible.

Taako whoops in delight and Kravitz is nearly 100% certain he’s giving Artemis the finger behind his back. “Fuck you, Fartemis! Taako lives to ride another day!” There’s a pause, Kravitz swears he hears a muttered… “Or maybe tonight.”

Kravitz deposits Taako much less elegantly than he hoped, but far enough away from the lake that he’s fairly sure they’re safe. “You saved my life!”

“I saved your ankle, at best.”

“You saved Taako’s favourite ankle!”

“You have a favourite ankle?” Kravitz asks, incredulous. Of course Taako has a favourite ankle, he probably has a favourite ear too. Why wouldn’t he?

“It’s weirder not to, ask anyone.” Taako skrunkles up his nose in distaste.

“I’ll do that.” Kravitz says, already deciding Sloane will probably agree. Maybe Kraivtz is wrong?

As the adrenaline fades Kravitz has a creeping awareness that he’s still holding Taako’s hand. It’s awkward, suddenly. He can’t tell if he should let go or cling on. No idea if Taako has been joking this whole time and he’s missing it. He doesn’t want to end up in a HR meeting. They’re dripping onto the golf course, bags of balls secured at their waists, pond weed stuck to their legs, Kravitz has no idea what to say, no idea what to do. He should probably apologise for unceremoniously grabbing Taako, but honestly, Taako seemed to enjoy it.

“So your place or mine tonight, handsome?” Taako pulls off his mask and snorkel properly to allow him to wink at Kravitz. There’s a dribble of muddy water running down his cheek. For a brief second Kravitz debates licking it off.

Kravitz takes a moment to consider Taako’s question. He’s seen the state of Taako’s locker, he’s not sure he can take that on a grander scale. “Mine.” He says definitively. He changed the sheets yesterday and they can stop and get supplies on the way, he’s not exactly set up for this. Maybe he needs to declare that actually. “I… er… I, I don’t really do this, Taako.”

“Do what, exactly, Kraveroo?”

“You know.” Kravitz flaps his hand. Surely Taako has caught his very obvious drift.

Taako looks at him blankly. “Interpretive dance?”

“One night stands!” Kravitz says, louder than he means to. Glances furtively around to ensure none of the customers are zipping by on their golf trollies just waiting to put in a complaint about lewd language being used on the course.

“Well Taako wasn’t planning on this being a one time thing, he’s heard there’s a ‘fantastic bedroom technique’ on offer and he plans to test it out thoroughly.”

Kravitz smiles, he can flirt with Taako, he can take Taako home, he can impress him. “We’ll figure out a rubric while we shower - we can do some extensive testing. I look forward to your feedback.”

--

I hope you enjoyed! Find the next day here.

[dufferpuffer]

I may get judged for this but

Sirius/Severus/Remus is my guilty pleasure, but only when Sirius and Remus are the ones pining hopelessly after Severus since their school days and being assholes about it because 1) they're teenagers from toxic households and/or traumatic upbringing in the 70s and can't handle their homosexual thoughts, 2) they're adults even more traumatized than before and, while they can handle their homosexual thoughts now, they're very much still assholes about it because it makes them feel better about it

And 3) Severus is oblivious to all of it because his brain can't conceive the mere possibility of those two feeling anything but disdain for him (+he also hates them and would rather jump off the astronomy tower than consider them in a romantic light)

That's the only dynamic in Sirius/Severus/Remus fics that I find acceptable. A bit messy, I know

(Bonus: This creates a tense shift in Sirius and Remus' friendship because, despite what their fans and numerous headcanons provide, I don't think they'll be willing to share their love interest. That would only happen if their rival in question was James)

Hello :^) long time since you asked, I suck If I had a nickle for every time someone said Sirius/Severus/Remus was some sort of 'guilty pleasure' I would have two nickles. Why is this guilty...? Sounds normal to me I talked a little about my thoughts on this ship Here - just one concept of how I think it would go. I'm just gonna ramble more B)

Big agree on Severus not being able to comprehend it. He would think they are trying to mess with him again. Bully him. Take the powerful, intimidating aura he has carefully constructed for himself and make him slip and fall on his face. "rather jump off the astronomy tower than consider them in a romantic light" lol

Remus' flirts are so vague. Some hopeful little comment paired with a nervous gaze from his big wet eyes... Severus is cautiously confused, the intent flying over his head. He snaps back an insulting quip. Remus sighs, frustrated that he can't get his feelings across.

Sirius is far more straight forward: the type to lean against a door-frame, using his height to his advantage, and say something that can't be mistaken for anything but a flirt. Severus treats it like a threat. Like he is about to be dangled upside down again, his pants ripped off. Sirius doesn't realize how smirking and saying 'That doesn't sound so bad~' isn't appealing.

I personally struggle to imagine situations where Remus and Sirius don't have friction, even just as friends. That's the part of their relationship that interests me most: How their friendship has eroded. I do think both being after the same person would erode it more.

Remus has a jealous streak. He thinks Tonks has a crush on Sirius...? He snaps. "UGH... he ALWAYS gets the girls..." Even though he doesn't have the balls to pursue her himself.

Knowing Sirius was after the same man... I mean, its Sirius. He can't win against Sirius in terms of charisma or beauty or... anything!!! I think Remus would curl up into a ball and 'give up'... while also crawling back to try again and again. Every time he does, it reeks of tentative desperation - wanting to appear friendly and meek to Severus, 'I know I scared you when we were kids but I'm not a threat! I will roll on my back for you, please please look at me.'

Sirius, knowing Remus is after the same man... Frustrating. "Look, Mate - let me have this! You had 12 years to make a move...!" Sirius is an emotionally wise and reasonable guy. I actually think as long as he feels secure he would be pretty good at handling jealousy. But he doesn't feel secure: He can't pin Severus down. He can't catch him. The greasy bastard is too slippery. Remus has all the freedom to go and chase him down outside of the house - Sirius has to wait for every time Severus comes to visit, like a goldfish waiting for his flakes.

Desperation of a different kind: He will proactively change tactics like Australian weather - one day soft and sappy, on his knees apologizing, making a show of it... The next day hot and bright, charming smiles, pinning against the wall. Bushfire to flood. He doesn't know what to do because he doesn't really understand Severus, not unless they sit down and have a man-to-man chat. But Sirius is too desperate. He is lonely. It hurts. He isn't very patient.

But... what happens when Severus works out that either of them, maybe both, are... actually sincere? They would have to bare their souls for him. Completely. Severus is a dominating man in general, at least at first - but especially for his bullies. They would need to be on their knees.

Since Severus isn't too fond of them, that opens the door to alot of dom/sub stuff. Severus enjoying grinding his heel in their face... figuratively, and perhaps literally. He thought they were trying to humiliate him, oh ho... no. He is going to humiliate them.

Personally I'm more into sweetness than rough stuff. I don't know if Severus has it in him to say "...I forgive you." - but maybe that is something he could relish, too. Probably easier to say to Remus than Sirius. He can at least recognize that Remus didn't mean to be horrifying - and he can see how he struggles with it.

Hm.... anyway uuuhhhhh two men worshiping smug Severus' cock

[orangedogsquad]

oh wow your dogs look so interesting I've never seen these breeds before

what are they like? do you recommend them to people new to dogs? do they have really awful legs like Basset Hounds under the fluff?

I think they're great, but I have a soft spot for scent hounds in general.

I find the basset fauve de bretagne is fairly adaptable. They're quite happy to have couch potato days, but equally happy to go out on an all day hiking adventure. Most of the ones we've met are pretty laid back, but they are a hunting dog, and get vocal if they catch a scent. (Tess in particular is very good at singing when she smells a rabbit or kangaroo). Fauves can be a bit independent in personality, and can have a 'what's in it for me' attitude when asked to do things, though not nearly as much as other hound breeds I know, and they are still trainable and very responsive, with a tendency to be very food motivated. When it comes to socials, they aren't the most forthcoming dogs, and tend to be fairly polite/neutral to strangers. With people they know, they are very affectionate though!

They're also quite a small dog (Tess is around 12.5kg, and Henry around 13.5kg) and are very portable and pick-upable. A fact which I imagine delights me more than them, lol.

The grand basset griffon vendeen on the other hand is a bit bigger. Maple is a small gbgv at around 20kg, but her siblings are closer to 25kg-30kg. I don't have as much experience with gbgvs overall, so it's harder to tell what's just Maple vs what's the breed, however in general, they seem to have a lot more energy than the fauves, and less of an off switch. They're also very vocal. Maple is one of the loudest dogs I know, which is saying something considering I live in a house with Koda.

Gbgvs are your more stereotypical hound, a level up from fauves in my opinion. Maple is Very independent and does what she wants, and doesn't have as strong a food motivation. Plus she's been a lot slower to mature.

But on the other side of it, gbgvs are very social, from what I've seen of Maple and her siblings. They Love people and other dogs, and Maple thinks everyone is her best friend.

One thing to keep in mind with both breeds is that they're wire-haired, and ideally should be hand stripped. On this front, a typical fauve's coat is a lot easier to strip and maintain than the gbgv's.

It depends on what kind of dog you're after, but I think either breed would be fine for someone new to dogs as long as you were prepared to deal with their hound quirks. I might be biased, but based on my experience, the basset fauve de bretagne would probably make for an easier first time dog experience than the gbgv.

To answer your other question, both the fauves and the gbgvs have much better legs compared to Basset Hounds. The fluff makes it a bit harder to judge, but their legs are a lot more proportionate to their bodies than what you would see in a Basset Hound. This isn't a perfect comparison, but you can see how Tess has more leg to her than the basset hound on the left. She's still fairly short overall, but has a lot more ground clearance, and is more structurally sound. Tess is also the smallest dog we have, so both Henry and Maple have more leg than she does! Because of their better structure and proportion, the fauves and gbgvs aren't prone to disc and spinal conditions like basset hounds are.

This has mostly been about the basset squad so far, but if you're curious about the other two:

Lagotto romagnolo- I wouldn't recommend a lagotto to a first time dog owner, no offense Koda. The lines in Australia tend to have Issues, at least from our experience and what we've heard from the vets we've spoken to. The idea of a lagotto is great, since they're very smart, energetic, sweet and affectionate to their owner, and don't shed, but for some reason it is very common for the ones here to be not quite right, lol. They're prone to anxiety, noise sensitivity, resource guarding behviours, and so on. Depending on where you are in the world, you might have better lines who don't have these issues, but in our context, I'd only recommend one to somebody who has a quiet, predictable household, no kids, no other pets, and who knows a good behavioural vet. If you want a smart, trainable, affectionate, non shedding breed, a poodle is a nice alternative.

Groodle- Holly is a great dog despite her 'breed'. Her traits are pretty much poodle, and the majority of the other 'groodles' we know are the same, so I would recommend getting a well bred poodle over any oodle mix! Very affectionate, eager to please and readily trainable, with a more solid health base.

[slow-button-off]

I have a weird feeling about Carlos this year. I find him easily frustrated (Australia, Monaco), I find that this year more than in the past it shows he wants to win against Charles more than anything else. So I’m wondering with the stories about Audi etc. Is it about his future ? With Ferrari but also with another team if Ferrari doesn’t renew.

What I’m scared of right now is really team work. He tried a dangerous thing for the team in Monaco on Charles. There are talks about communication between the two sides, but I don’t know if it’s on Carlos or another problem (going out before Charles while it’s agreed not, …). What if they don’t renew ? Will he still play for the team next year ?

I don’t know, I had an uneasy feeling in Monaco. And it made me think about Australia (and his mistake and reaction to his it too).

What’s really strange with his season so far is that he has lost opportunities on his own. Media is focused on Charles so Carlos still has a great image, and he can get away with it for now. Especially with Ferrari mistakes costing so many points to Charles too, it puts a better light on Carlos results in a way.

Not to pseudo-psychoanalyse the man but Monaco was a bit strange.

Like his reactions during and after the race were very intense for what was on the line.

And I always say that the reactions in the car are fine etc and the are. And I am not judging it as such but I do find it fascinating how pissed off he was after that pit stop.

Which is also a great reminder that the drivers do not have the full picture in the car. Because he was so pissed and didn't want to know about Lewis but had he stayed out the way that he wanted to he would've been undercut so incredibly quickly. Carlos was doing 1:17 Lewis 1:15. Pitting him to cover Lewis was 100% the right decision because he also wouldn't have been able to overcut Ocon on his old tyres. No way.

Him asking about Charles lap times and then being upset and saying he was doing times a whole second faster than that when he actually wasn't kinda makes me think that he thought he was being sacrificed for Charles or something but idk. And like that was for P4 P3 not like a win.

The driving into Ocon thing was also weird and I agree with Fred on that.

And then he spun out which shit happens when it's wet. But then he was behind Charles and was attacking him on slicks in the wet on the way to the pits AFTER spinning out? That was super strange.

Teammates always have to be more careful with each other but yk they do get to race each other when it's like dry for example. But risking this much on slicks in the wet when everyone is sliding around trying to make it back to the pits was wild.

And sure I get it he knew it would be a double stack and didn't want to be second. But after you spun out it makes no sense to risk a double DNF.

He seemed super frustrated the entire race. And I don't fully understand why. Like sure it wasn't overall a great weekend for the team but why was he so keyed up?

But generally I liked Fred reaction to the weekend and apologizing to Charles and also pointing out that Carlos was somehow frustrated and needs to calm down a bit because it was super super strange.

But anyway they will figure it out.

Yeah it's so funny to think about all the talk of Charles mistakes and yes they did happen but if Ferrari wasn't Ferrari he would be on 73 points and Carlos who hasn't gotten Ferraried yet would be on 44.

So all of those opinions are very very surface level thoughts.

[havendance]

Santaquest pt3!

I'm falling behind on this, so let's speedrun some comics.

Limited Collector's Edition #34

Not Santa related, but the second story, features Captain Marvel where both Billy and Captian Marvel buy presents for each other. Billy does his best to be polite about his alter-ego's taste:

Santa (not the real deal): What's this? From Capt Marvel to Billy?? Billy: Sure! Ha, Ha! Capt. Marvel bought me something I never had the nerve to get myself. Billy: Er--uh--I always wanted a loud necktie like this!

Story 3--the one with the real Santa!--we see that he and his dwarves are happy to throw down:

Santa: Hmmm! I'm against violence, but... ...they were trying to steal our Christmas toys!

One of the thieves tries to get away, unfortunately there's a truck containing explosives!

A move which destroys all the toys Angel and Sam collected for Santa!

DC Special Series #21

We've go our Santa appearance as previously documented by Zahri:

Also in this story: an explosion breaks the time barrier!

Destiny: As the fuel tanks exploded, the rocket-plane crashed through the time barrier--with an explosion that was seen across the ages...

The sort of comics pseudo-science I do enjoy

Best of DC #22

In a reprinted story from Batman #27, we have no appearance of the real santa, but we do have another appearance of the holiday bat-plane!

Onward to our real santa story: The Seal Men's War on Santa Claus!

Our young Jed finds himself making a deal with the old miser who lives nearby to raise money for the christmas fund:

Mr Gotrox (note: what a name!): I like your spirit, young fellow, so I'll tell ou what I'm going to do! If you can prove to my by midnight tonight that there is such a person as Santa Claus, I'll give that fund of yours a check for one million dollars! Nephew Gotrox: Uncle Titus! Jed: Oh wow! A million dollars! Do you really mean it, sir?

Will he succeed? Judging that this is our real Santa story I think he might, but we'll have to see. Fortunately, Jed is friends with the Sandman, and the Sandman is friends with Santa Claus!

Narration: And after Jed has breathlessly told the Sandman his story... Sandman: Why, that'll be no problem at all! Santa Claus is a friend of mine from way back! He'll be glad to help out. Jed: Gee, Sandman, that's great!

Anyway, there's a whole adventure with the seal men and the nephew but in the end, Santa shows up and Mr Gotrox remembers his Christmas spirit. Santa even lets him ride in his sleigh!

Santa: ... Is there something special you'd like for Christmas? Mr Gotrox: Yes, Santa, there is! It's something I've always wanted. Bzzzz-bzzz-bzzz Narration: And what is it that Titus Gotrox has always wanted, you ask? Well... Santa: Ho Ho HO! You're doing a fine job driving my sleigh Titus! But you'd better put on some hustle! The kids in Asia and Australia will be popping out of bed any time now, and we don't want to be late!

Finally, in the justice league story (no real) Santa, we get this little gem for the dinahollie fans:

Narration: Oliver (Green Arrow) Queen and his Lady Friend, Dinah (Black Canary) Lance, interrupted in the midst of a more personal celebration... Oliver: Of all the lousy times for the JLA to call!

Hey! At least you've still got your clothes on...

Well, that was perhaps not quite so speedy but there really were quite a few christmas stories to get through. Well, until next time!

[siderealscribblings]

Mending Warped Designs Chapter 24: Bet It All On Black

The Empress slithered through the sky above Paris, glaring down as thousands of her progeny swarmed the streets below. Through a thin, shimmering barrier that kept them hidden from sight, Ladybug watched the monster carefully. There had to be some kind of weakness; no creature alive was completely immune to harm. There was a flaw in its design somewhere; if Ladybug could just find it, then maybe they could-

"You get all that Ladybug?"

Ladybug snapped out of her brooding as Rena Rouge lightly tapped her on the shoulder.

"Sorry I was snake-watching," Ladybug said, shaking her head. "How are we going at this thing?"

"They expect us to go toe to toe with the big one," Rena Rouge said. "So that's what it's gonna look like we're doing. Monarch, Bluebird and I are going to run interference while you and Queen Bee free Carapace and secure The Toad's ring if you can. Once you've taken some pressure off Nino...and if he's still in good shape, we can talk about regrouping and fighting The Empress. But right now we need to check some things off our to-do list before it overwhelms us and takes Paris down with it."

Ladybug glanced up at The Empress as she glided overhead. "She's gonna eat you if she catches you."

"But first she's gotta catch us," Rena Rouge said with a mischievous glint in her eye. "If I play my tricks right, we can reverse this little trap, slip under her radar and start counterattacking at their weak points. Use their own tricks against them; start a bunch of fires that they have to put out and attack the weak links in their command chain."

"Their chain is miles longer than ours is," Bluebird pointed out, glancing at Monarch.  

"Let me see if I can add some links," Monarch said, a butterfly fluttering off her fingertip. "I'll see if there's anyone available in town; every quality Champion is either underground or otherwise incapacitated. Bloody ARK bunkers lock until the all-clear is given.”

“Juleka said she'll try to get back in time,” Bluebird said, glancing at his phone. “But I think it'll be difficult to return from Australia in time to help."

"Bad time for a vacation but if things go to plan, this shouldn't take that long," Rena Rouge said, glancing at Ladybug. "What'd I miss?"

It took a second before Ladybug realized that Rena Rouge was asking for her input. "Besides the giant snake slithering through the sky and the small army of monsters at its beck and call?"

"Did she miss anything important ?" Queen Bee chuckled. "Monsters attacking Paris is nothing new; we're more than capable of handling a few runaway lizards for a little while."

"Yeah, I can tell you what you forgot," Ladybird said, jerking her thumb in Cat Noir's direction. "Are we supposed to just play tiddlywinks while you all save the city?"

"Considering you're the objective we're trying to keep our enemies from reaching, yeah, that would be ideal," Ladybug said. "But judging by the pout and puppy dog eyes, you're not going to stay put unless we gag you and stuff you in a broom closet, are you?"

"How many times do I need to remind you guys that we are heroes too!" Cat Noir said, tossing his arm over Ladybird's shoulder. "Heroes with a fantastic track record of success, I might add."

Ladybug and Rena Rouge exchanged glances and Ladybird took her chance to press the advantage. "If you guys can't pull off whatever it is you're gonna pull off, we're as good as captured anyway."

"But if we fight with you, we all have a better chance of seeing the end of this," Cat Noir pointed out.

“ And put you in mortal danger,” Monarch pointed out.

“Being a hero means being in danger,” Ladybird said, her eyes finding her partner’s for a second. “I’m not the kind of coward who will let people get hurt just to keep me safe.”

“Nobody is saying you're a coward, outside of some very emotionally disturbed felines with an axe to grind with our Ladybug,” Queen Bee sighed. “Buggy, please talk some sense into this kid before her ego gets her killed."

Ladybug tried her best to find a flaw in their logic, but after a screech from the monster overhead, she realized their time for arguing had come and gone. "Not together though; we have to split you up."

Read More...

[redwineconversation]

Ellie Carpenter "What Are You Listening To" Interview (OL)

On their YouTube page

I wasn't going to do this but (1) someone asked really nicely and (2) Carpenter's disdain of "Call Me Maybe" made me laugh. I'm pretty much down to translate/transcribe whatever, just ask nicely and understand it might take me a bit of time to get to it. :)

I linked to the songs they discuss so you can judge their music tastes to your heart's content.

Blah blah standard disclaimers apply. I flagged it when the conversation was already in English / ie if it doesn't say "[in English]" in front of it that means the discussion was in French.

"WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO" with Ellie Carpenter

Jule: Hello everybody, happy to see you again. Welcome back for a new episode of "What Are You Listening To". In each episode, we're going to go for a drive with a men or women's player for Olympique Lyonnais to listen to their music choices, chat with them, get to know them a little bit better. And for this episode, Ellie Carpenter is with us. [in English] Ellie, how are you?

Carpenter: I'm good, how about you?

Jule: So we're talking in French to start?

Carpenter: Eh, yeah.

Jule: Okay, that works. Are you happy to be here with us?

Carpenter: Yeah. I'm very happy [to be here].

Jule: We're going to go for a drive, listen to some music, find out what you like, I'm going to show you what I like as well. I think that's going to be pretty cool. Sounds good?

Carpenter: Sounds good.

Jule: Okay, let's get started.

Jule: I asked you which songs you wanted us to listen to in the car. We have Louis in the backseat, who appreciates your song choices.

Carpenter: Oh yeah?

Jule: So he approves. He completely agrees [with your choices].

Carpenter: Okay.

Jule: So we're going to start with your favorite song at the moment.

[REMA, SELENA GOMEZ - CALM DOWN]

Carpenter: Yeah, it's my favorite right now. For the moment.

Jule: For the moment?

Carpenter: Yeah, for the moment. It's the first song I listen to when I'm driving here [to work].

Jule: So when you're driving to the stadium, this is what you're listening to. [in English] Why do you like this song? Is it the rhythm, the atmosphere?

Carpenter: [in English] Yeah. And it's chill. And also I like Selena Gomez.

Jule: [in English] You listen to which style of music? Like in general?

Carpenter: [in English] R&B, chill, a bit of rap sometimes.

Jule: [in English] You chose a rap song that we will listen to.

Carpenter: [in English] I think I did, yeah.

Jule: [in English] Do you listen to some French songs?

Carpenter: [in English] Yeah, I do. I like French songs.

Jule: [in English] What kind of artists?

Carpenter: [in English] Aya Nakamura. I like Aya Nakamura.

Jule: [in English] So I put on this song, you will like it?

[AYA NAKAMURA - DJADJA]

Carpenter: [in English] Yeah, it's my favorite one.

[Jule and Carpenter sing some of the lyrics]

Jule: So you listen to this in the locker room?

Carpenter: Yeah.

Jule: And in training?

Carpenter: Yeah. I'm the DJ for the locker room. But I switch between English, French.

Jule: Okay. And did you decide that you were going to be the DJ? Or did they say "go for it, go for it"?

Carpenter: No, I think the girls [were like] "Ellie, go for it, go for it." Okay!

[Jule and Carpenter sing some more of the lyrics]

Jule: Did they explain the lyrics to you a little? Did they translate it?

Carpenter: The song? Yeah. Go on.

Jule: [in English] I don't know. Even in French it's really complicated sometimes.

Carpenter: It's complicated, yeah.

Jule: [in English] Because the word "catchana", I didn't know it before the song came out.

Carpenter: You know Janice Cayman, on the team? All the players call her Jaja.

Jule: Of course.

Carpenter: Like the song. Jaja!

Jule: [in English] We listened to some French songs. You're Australian, and you played most of your career in Australia.

Carpenter: [in English] Yeah.

Jule: [in English] Just a few years in Portland. And then you arrive in Europe. It's your first European experience. Is it difficult to move from Australia to France?

Carpenter: [in English] I think yes and no. Obviously with the language it's difficult, because it's a whole new language. I didn't know a word of French before I arrived.

Jule: [in English] You didn't know any words?

Carpenter: [in English] Nothing. Just bonjour (hello).

Jule: That's at least something.

Carpenter: But now, I speak [Carpenter gestures vaguely with her hand]

Jule: French?

Carpenter: French. I'm okay at it.

[TONES AND I - UR SO F***ING COOL]

Carpenter: Do you know this artist?

Jule: [in English] I know this artist. I didn't know she was Australian. But I know [her] a little, I got one of her songs. She had one hit, but I don't remember the name.

Carpenter: Dance Monkey, maybe?

Jule: [in English] That's it. Because when I think of Australian artists, I think about Kylie Minogue. She's the first one that comes to mind.

Carpenter: I think I'm a bit young for that.

Jule: But is she still a star?

Carpenter: Yeah, yeah.

Jule: [in English] Why did you choose to speak out and listen to Tones and I?

Carpenter: I think she's a cool artist. I like her songs.

Jule: We listed to Aya Nakamura. I'd like to introduce you to classic French songs. We're going to take a listen, you'll tell us what you think of them.

[JEAN-JACQUES GOLDMAN - ENVOLE MOI]

Jule: [in English] It's like one of the biggest stars in French history.

Carpenter: Oh yeah? I never heard about him. Everyone knows him?

Jule: Everyone.

Carpenter: So if I play this artist in the locker room, the players will know it?

Jule: Yeah. Jean-Jacques Goldman.

Carpenter: Okay, next time in the locker room, I'm going to play this. The players are going to be like "what is this, Ellie?"

Jule: Louis [the sound technician], what do you think?

Carpenter: Do you like it, Louis?

Jule: [in English, to Carpenter] Do you like it?

Carpenter: It's okay, it's okay. It's not my favorite, but it's okay.

Jule: [in English] Another one.

[PATRICK BRUEL - PLACE DES GRANDS HOMMES]

Jule: [in English] It's a classic also, from the 80s/90s.

Carpenter [in English]: Wow.

Jule: [in English] Every girl was in love with him.

Carpenter: [in English] Really? Patrick Bruel.

Jule: [starts singing lyrics]

Carpenter: I like it.

Jule: [in English] Ah, you like that?

Carpenter: It's good.

[song continues]

Jule [in English]: You like that?

Carpenter: Yeah, I'm into it.

[song continues]

[PATRICK SEBASTIEN - LES SARDINES]

Carpenter: The sardines?!

Jule: [in English] You know that [song]?

Carpenter: No.

Jule: [in English] It's really a classic. Louis [the sound technician] really likes it. You dance like that, with the shoulders moving.

Carpenter: [in English] I like to dance, so I like it.

Jule: [in English] It's perfect for dancing. So your favorite is what, this one?

Carpenter: Patrick.

Jule: [in English] So you like Patrick Bruel?

Carpenter [in English]: I like Patrick Bruel.

Jule: [in English] So now we will listen to a song that you choose to get you in the mood before a game. We talked a little in the beginning about rap songs, and this is a rap song.

Carpenter: Oh, yeah.

[MIGOS - FIGHT NIGHT]

Jule: [in English] Do you have any rituals, something that you always do before a game?

Carpenter: [in English] Well normally I'm on the bus and I have my AirPods in. Not really a ritual, I just listen to music like this, to get me in the mood.

Jule: [in English] I understand why you choose this one.

Carpenter: [in English] Yeah?

Jule: [in English] It really gets you in the fighting mode.

Carpenter: [in English] Yeah. It's like, let's go.

Jule: [in English] You really want to...

Carpenter: [in English] Fight.

[DAVID GUETTA - I'M GOOD (BLUE)]

Carpenter: [in English] I like this song. It's a new song actually, a remix.

Jule: [in English] What is like in the locker room after a victory? Is everyone celebrating?

Carpenter: [in English] We do our like ritual song.

Jule: [in English] You're still the DJ?

Carpenter: [in English] I am, yeah. Now after, I just play songs that gets everyone up and dancing a little bit.

Jule: [in English] And there was another one, this one.

Carpenter: [in English] Oh yeah.

Jule: [in English] A rap song as well.

[FETTY WAP - TRAP QUEEN]

Jule: [in English] And on your right we have Tony Garnier Hall, it's a big area for concerts. And since we're talking music, which one was your favorite concert that you saw in your life?

Carpenter: [in English] Ever? I think Rihanna.

Jule: [in English] In Australia?

Carpenter: [in English] In Australia, yeah.

[A-AH - TAKE ON ME]

Carpenter: Oh yeah. Do you know karaoke?

Jule: Yeah.

Carpenter: All the time, with my parents, my brother, my father.

Jule: With your family?

Carpenter: Yea, with the family. Always, with this song. [Carpenter hums the song] You know it?

Jule: Yeah. [in English] It's really a classic.

Carpenter: Yeah?

Jule: Yeah, everyone knows it. Louis [the sound technician], you know it? Louis loves it.

Carpenter: Yeah.

Jule: If Louis love it, then it's good.

Carpenter: If Louis approves, then it's valid.

[Carpenter and Jule sing the lyrics]

Jule: [in English] Do you spend a lot of time with your family, with your parents, doing karaoke?

Carpenter: In the car. Going to training every day.

Jule: [in English] Is difficult to be far away from them?

Carpenter: Sometimes. But it's normal for me, because I left Australia when I was 16. So it's normal.

[ZIGGY ALBERTS - RUNAWAY]

Carpenter: Oh, this is my favorite artist.

Jule: [in English] Of all time?

Carpenter: Yeah.

Jule: [in English] Favorite song also?

Carpenter: Yeah. All his songs.

Jule: Okay.

Carpenter: He is Australian. And his [songs are] just chill, relax. And I adore his voice, yeah.

Jule: [in English] When you listen to Migos and then this one, you just ... [Jules mimics bringing it down] cool down?

Carpenter: [laughs] [in English] "Ellie, it's a calm moment." [in French] Because all the players, they think I'm crazy. Always crazy. They're like "Ellie, you're never calm." But I am! [in English] But they don't see me calm, you know.

Jule: [in English] I imagine when you go on holiday, you have the sunset and this song in the car, yeah. Perfect.

Jule: [in English] We're totally going to change the mood. Here we are calm, relaxed. Now it will not be the same.

[SKRILLEX AND RICK ROSS - PURPLE LAMBORGHINI]

Carpenter: [in English] This song gets me through all my rehab workouts. If I'm on the bike, you know... [in French] I hate the bike. I HATE it.

Jule: Me too. I hate it too.

Carpenter: [in English] My trainer, Remi.

Jule: [in English] Shoutout to Remi.

Carpenter: When it's a rehab session, I'm like "hang on, Remi. I need my song." And he knows it. He's like [scoffs] "Purple Lamborghini. Always." And I have it on repeat. [in English] It helps me so much.

[rap song continues]

[CARLY RAE JEPSEN - CALL ME MAYBE]

Jule: So we asked you which song you didn't really like, which you were tired of listening to. And it was this one.

Carpenter: Oh, yeah. It was ... [in English] You know the song that's just been played too much, you know. [scoffs] But I still know every lyric to the song, because it's been played so much.

Jule: [in English] It was a big hit.

Carpenter: [in English] A big hit. But I've heard it so much, I can't. If it's on, I skip it. [reaches for the console]

Jule: Okay. [moves to change the song]

Carpenter: [in English] It's okay. I like it.

Jule: [in English]: You like it or not?

Carpenter: [in English] I don't, but I would listen to it.

[CARLY RAE JEPSEN - CALL ME MAYBE (SPEED UP)]

Carpenter: Oh, it's a remix:

Jule: [in English] It's sped up.

Carpenter: Not bad.

[Carpenter sings the lyrics]

Jule: We're almost at our destination. Do you want to listen to your favorite song and we'll end it on that, or do you want to listen to another song?

Carpenter: You can choose your favorite.

Jule: My favorite? Okay. It'll be this one.

[rap song plays]

Jule: Thank you, Ellie. Good luck for the rest of the season. Thank you to you for following us on our Youtube channel and on OLPlay. We'll see you soon for the next episode. Bye!

[wtfearth123]

WTF Earth 🌎 : A Page Dedicated to Sharing Interesting Events Happening on Earth

Greetings, fellow extraterrestrials!

Welcome to WTF Earth 🌎, a page dedicated to sharing interesting events happening on Earth. If you are fascinated by the strange and wonderful planet that humans call home, then you have come to the right place. Here, you will find stories, facts, opinions, and insights about the most trending topics on Earth, from politics and culture to science and nature. Whether you are looking for a laugh, a shock, or a learning opportunity, you will find something that suits your taste and curiosity.

Why did we create this page?

Well, as aliens ourselves, we have always been intrigued by Earth and its inhabitants. We’ve been observing Earth for a long time now, using our advanced technology and stealthy methods. We’re constantly amazed by the strange and wonderful things that happen here. We have seen them do amazing things, such as build structures like the Pyramids and the Great Wall of China, landing on the moon, inventing the internet, and creating art and music. We have also seen them do terrible things, such as waging wars, destroying the environment, and oppressing each other. We have witnessed their joys and sorrows, their hopes and fears, their achievements and failures.

We have learned a lot from them, but we also have many questions. Why do they do what they do? How do they think and feel? What are their values and beliefs? What are their dreams and aspirations? How do they cope with the challenges and opportunities that life presents them? How do they interact with each other and with other species? What makes them unique and what makes them similar to us?

We’re not here to judge you, Earthlings. We just want to learn more about your planet and its inhabitants. We hope that by sharing these stories, we can help you to better understand yourselves and your place in the universe.

We decided to create this page to share our observations and reflections with you, our fellow aliens.

We hope that by doing so, we can spark your interest and curiosity about Earth and its people. We also hope that we can foster a dialogue and exchange of ideas among ourselves and with the humans who might stumble upon this blog. We believe that by learning from each other, we can enrich our understanding of ourselves and of the universe.

So what are you waiting for? Follow WTF Earth 🌎 today and learn about the latest WTF moments happening on Earth!

You will be surprised, amused, amazed, or maybe even horrified by what you will discover. But one thing is certain: you will never be bored.

Here are some of the WTF events that we’ve seen on Earth:

A man in Florida set himself on fire to protest the high price of gasoline.

A group of politicians in Australia got into a fistfight on live TV over a disagreement about climate change.

A woman in China gave birth to 10 babies, breaking the world record for the most children born at once.

A man in India survived being struck by lightning 7 times.

A group of scientists in Japan created a robot that can feel pain.

These are just a few of the many WTF events that happen on Earth every day. We’re constantly amazed by the strange and wonderful things that you humans get up to. Keep it up, Earthlings! We’re loving the show.

In addition to sharing the latest WTF moments, we also offer a variety of other features, including:

Articles about the wild life, nature, history, culture, and people of Earth.

Scientific experiments discovered by Humans.

Interviews with experts on Earthling affairs.

A forum where you can discuss WTF events with other Earthlings.

A blog where you can share your own WTF stories.

We hope that WTF Earth 🌎 will become a valuable resource for anyone who wants to learn more about Earth and its inhabitants. So what are you waiting for? Follow WTF Earth today and start exploring the strange and wonderful world of Earthlings!

❤️ from Aliens 👽👽

P.S.

We would love to hear from you! If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please feel free to contact us. We are always looking for new ways to improve our page and make it more informative and entertaining.

Thanks for reading!

[charlesandmartine]

Friday 24th February 2023

The open road beckons again today setting off from Toowoomba on our quest for Roma about 359km on the A2 in total. This section of the journey takes us further inland and north. Everything is topsy turvy down under. IE southerly winds welcome at home, here they come from the Antarctic. Travelling north at home means colder, travelling north here means it's getting hotter! Anecdotal I'm sure. Nonetheless the temperature has started to climb and there's that beautiful warm all over temperature when you step out of the car and even the breeze does nothing to chill.

First stop, Dalby where there's a choice of route! So the very cheery tourist information ladies helped us decide. That and the flat white and raspberry muffin delivered from a well recommended café. Once confirmed that the A2 is the route then the die is cast and there can be no deviation. The route comes close to the second longest man made structure, the Dingo fence that's 5600km in length crossing Australia from the Darling Downs to the Nullarbor Plains. Dalby is smack in the middle of cotton picking country although the crop is now in and so the only signs of this industry at this time of year are the small green plants with the promise of a crop for next season. Cotton soon gives way to vast flat open fields of wheat, also harvested by now, stored away in the massive grain silos, serviced by long road trains plying up and down between farms. A favourite crop here would appear to be Sorghum, a rather important ingredient for the manufacture of Aussie Weetabix. We pass Chinchilla then onto Miles. Named after one William Miles who on 19th January 1855 brought a whole ship load of immigrants to Queensland. To celebrate this grand event we had lunch at Chinaman's Creek, so called because part Chinese, part Mongolian Sam Ah Lee set up camp here. He was a market gardener which sounds innocent enough but the judge thought supplying opium to the Aborigines was outside his remit. So he was banned from the place. However, the Creek is now better known for the Tropical Waterlilies Numphea Gigatea var. Neorosea growing here, which are extinct in their own native country. They are thankfully abundant here in this creek providing someone keeps an eye on the water level. The Creek itself might by some be described as a large pond but it is absolutely stacked with these beautiful vibrant Waterlilies in both pink and blue hues. A truly delightful scene within a rather dusty environment.

Sandwich taken care of and adequate admiration of the Waterlilies duly given, we plodded on in the direction of Roma.

Big event. Soon after leaving Miles in the rear view mirror, we passed a huge sign saying 'Welcome to the Outback'. It's official we are now in the outback and likely as not no-one will ever see us again. Soon after the sign, we saw another enticing us to Judd's Lagoon. Well how could you resist, we had to find out what Judd had by way of a lagoon, so despite the protestations of the lady in Google headquarters we went off to explore. Shackles were rising I guess in Mr Avis's department, but most of the road was sealed so it ought to be okay. After 4km we found Judd and his lagoon and very pleasing it was too. A couple of camper vans had found it before us but otherwise it was totally peaceful. We were then able to rejoin our route. Miss Google maps then totally mistrusting our intention to follow her advice ever again announced "turn right in 55kms". Clearly making a point, we heard nothing from her for 45 mins. The roads are long, very straight and practically empty and before long we were pulling into the Explorer Motel for the next couple of nights. Too tired to cook we found cod and chips down the road at the Blue Shed Fish and Chip Shop a highly agreeable alternative washed down with Aussie beer from the bottle shop.

Temperatures reached 34 degrees today, warm enough for Martine to slip gracefully into the motel pool. We are hoping for more days like this.

[ah0yh0y]

Lego Masters: Grandmasters ~ thoughts this week

catched up on all the lego masters eps this week god these eps make me so stressed and now im worried theres gonna be an elimination next there proabbly is we cant avoid it

but i find it a bit iffy that people who have immunity from being eliminated are still being counted in the bottom two? i think it should be like masterchef where there excluded from being judged and being put in their bottom two it jsut feels unfair a bit as a team i automatically eliminated it it reminds me of summer and iona's elimination a couple of seasons ago where she one had to leave bc she felt sick and the other they couldnt build fully and thus their build suffered and both of them got eliminated (though in that aspect i dont know how they could have rectified it initially HOWEVER later in that reason they had a couple of contestants who were eliminated come back and compete to well compete again and S&I werent one of them s0)

i am still of the opinion that we need more judges but i understand its hard to come by lego builders that are the caliber of brickman but it would greatly improve the judgeing it feels slightly skewed sometimes i cant really explain it

in temrs of episodes grandmasters has really stepped up their challenges (especially with the one with the wire that that oh god was bad i was so terrified david and gus would leave they dont deserve that)

timing wise too contestants get waaaaay less time than ususal which i personally think they should get slightly longer at least at this point in the season and then midway have it be this short but i can see why theyve gone this way they do need to differentiate grandmasters

i get stressed watching them and i will start sobbing if someone leaves THOUGH THOUGH I WAS CHEERING WHEN KALE LEFT OH MY GOD THAT MAN BOILS MY BLOOD

i feel bad for trent tho its not his fault he should have been paired up with a better partner kale just cannot listen and the entirety of australia was cheering when kale got booted out even brick man didnt shed a tear

ALTOUGH THE BUILDS ARE SO IMPRESSIVE JUST LOOK AT THE PHOTOS IM TELLING YOU i feel like joss and henry and scott and owen are probably the ones too beat but its too early we will see

god i cant wait untill sunday

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Scared of Leaving?

HWDYKYM got this in our ask box about seven years ago:

“I’m a second gen from Australia, and I’m currently questioning the beliefs and customs of the unification church. I just wanted to ask, when you left the church, did you feel scared at all? Did the thought of ‘what if all they taught was right’ ever cross your mind? I’m currently stuck between leaving the church or staying, and am currently exploring other more ‘normal’ religions. Many thanks.”

I decided to share this with some other second generation who left the church and here are some of their responses:

I legitimately wondered if I was going to get struck by lightening or run over by a car for the first year or so. My mom had had a spiritual child that left and then drowned a few months later, so as a kid she drilled into me that that’s what happens when you leave. Plus I was terrified to tell people about where I “came from” because I thought I would be judged or thrown out (like in so many establishments on STF) so it took me a long time to develop my family of choice.

When I was younger I had told my parents that I wanted to explore other religions, and they all but forbid me from doing it. They explained that since they knew that following the church was the right path, there was no point in me exploring others. My response was, “Well if it’s right, then there’s no harm in looking elsewhere, because I’ll obviously find my way back,” but they wouldn’t have it. Whether out of fear or just plain stubbornness I still don’t know. To me that is evidence of the total control the church exerts over its members. It forbids them to have empathy or open-mindedness, and it prevents them from experiencing all the goodness this world has to offer. The Divine Principle teaches that the purpose of life is to attain happiness, and I was anything but happy in the church. Yes I terrified for months before and after I “left,” although I can’t pinpoint an exact event or time. It was more of a series of lifestyle changes that gradually brought me away, but also made me happier and improved my quality of life. As things got better, my fear eventually subsided. My advice? Go explore! Committing to a life of faith is a big decision and should be taken seriously. Land in a place where you are comfortable to be free, express yourself, and explore your unique potential.

I always come back to this answer to the original question: ‘If your parents got to choose their own faith that their parents probably didn’t agree with, why can’t you?’ Isn’t that part of growing? Would they have discovered the UC if they didn’t explore other religions, different from their own parents’? Also the “pure blood lineage” scenario runs through some sects of the Jewish, Muslim, and basically Judeo-Christian teachings, so the UC is not special in that sense. That’s how the church kept me in fear of disbanding. It’s a false-privileged old way of controlling someone, and it’s the very definition of conditional love. I would let this person know that practically all of 2nd gens I know have left the church, because we found that the world is bigger than the narrow confines of the UC. It’s okay to question things just like Martin Luther did with starting the Protestant Church, and Rev. Moon did with the UC, and what the Pope is doing right now.

Something I find comfort in is the idea that good people are good people, that goodness is goodness, regardless of affiliation or belief. It’s  your character and your actions that matter, that determine the quality of your life and the impact you can have on the world, much more than your creed. Even the DP teaches that people with good hearts are the ones actually closest to God, rather than “whitewashed tombs” of people who claim the truth. Even if it turns out that you’re “wrong” in what side of the fence you decide to jump down on, it doesn’t really matter as long as you live your life well. It’s hard to know or sure what’s true. We just have to do our best with whatever knowledge and certainty we do have. If there is a Heaven, I think all the people who are truly loving, generous, and courageous are the ones who will end up there – be they atheists, Hindus, Mormons, or even Unificationists.

From a young age, I knew the cost of being a Unificationist was big, especially if you really believed in it. I’m not one to half-ass anything, and if Moon was the messiah, I wanted to get matched by him, do at least two years of STF, convert all my friends, make the Principle known, create a perfect heteronormative family under the reign of Cheon Il Guk, and pay indemnity for my Japanese sins. But for some reason, I was always suspicious of it all. I felt like I didn’t have enough reasons to believe. I would do conditions of 210 bows for 40 days, cold showers, fasting, etc., to receive an undeniable confirmation that Moon was truly the Lord of the Second Advent, like the myths we heard from early UC history. Nothing ever came. What kept me in for so long was the fact that I never experienced a love like I did among church members. That was my testimony and the reason I put my faith in Moon. Eventually, when I discovered the atrocities done in the name of Moon and by Moon, especially after I read Nansook Hong’s book “In the Shadow of the Moons” I knew I couldn’t stay much longer. I was scared of leaving because of my parents, of course, but also because I thought I’d never have friends like I did in the UC. We constantly heard that rhetoric that friendships outside the Church are pointless and what BCs share is unique, etc. After I left, though, I developed deeper friendships than I had in the church. I had friends who loved me no matter what my views on spirituality were and loved me when I fucked up and I found out what true love—that unconditional love we were told about at camp—was really about. I somehow ending up forming convictions in God, Jesus, etc., that I couldn’t ignore, and despite my cynicism and fear of organized religion, I ended up in a progressive Christian community that could support me in my faith (and me with theirs) and live out these convictions presented by Jesus together. All that to say, it may be really hard leaving, but it will be worth it. Explore your convictions, your ideas, and be the best you. It fucks with Moonies’ heads when they see somebody so clearly living out true love and not buying into their crap—and outright rejecting it.

First I would tell he or she that “religion” should not be perceived as a social group that one just joins. Even though, that’s basically what it is on the surface. You should look deeper inside yourself. Find something you truly believe in. For me it’s God. I’m not religious. I’m spiritual. Which is something all religions can help you discover within your self. But you should not have to need/depend on a religious group to find/keep your spirituality. I mean that’s just my perspective. Just be an open person. Be infinite. Take everything in. And live your life. I was horrified at the beginning. But then you’re just free. And that’s awesome.

I was afraid whenever I’d go against the church’s rules, but I found that more often than not I wouldn’t feel the repercussions of sin that were promised. The more I went against the church, ultimately the less afraid I became. There was a lot of questioning and doubt, I certainly wondered what would happen to me, and what if they were right. I think it’s good to seek out truth for yourself. Ultimately if you find the church is your answer then you can go back. They’re desperate for more members anyway.

While I was questioning my beliefs, I felt a lot of shame and guilt about being ungrateful for TP, and doubting them so much. I feared God would be disappointed in my lack of faith. But the more evidence I found that the faith itself was inconsistent and false, the more boldly I was able to think for myself and discover who I am. It’s terrifying at first to think that everyone you know and all the adults you’ve looked up to are wrong. But it also gives you freedom, when you can ascertain your own beliefs instead of just checking in with what “Father says”.

There are a million and one religions that purport that they are “right” and “the one”. I don’t think God (if you believe in God) would screw the rest of the groups based on what religion they belong to or what specific traditions they encourage, but rather the love we offer to others. Isn’t that unconditional love?

For me leaving the church was a very big deal. I would say that the fear was more to do with losing something I had invested my time, energy and person into. Eventually the cognitive dissonance becomes too strong and the overwhelming conclusion that what the UC teaches is not true just becomes your new normal. The process is real, it takes time though. Joining other religions can help as a kind of a ‘step down’. I’ve explored a few Christian churches and found that in some circles, having been part of another religion that I believed in and left, has made me far more skeptical than most of the congregation. In others I’ve met people who have had a similar journey from conservative faith into something more complex (and liberal).

Not so much fear for me. Maybe little fleeting twinges of it early on. But it was a slower transition and more gradual over time which I’m sure made it easier. Two points to remember: 1)  I’ve never seriously considered that I could permanently lose my relationship with my mother. We’re related by blood. We disagree at times, but if anything threatened my life. She’d only be closer to me, no matter what had divided us. She’s my mother. She loves me. How much more would that apply to my father in heaven. Who not only gave me physical life, but a spiritual nature as well. 2)   Would it make sense, if you invested in my business, that I would tell you…  "Don’t trust information from anyone else but me. Because only my information will help you understand my stock and make the right choice about investing in it. The more you trust my information, and ignore all other information, the better financial decisions you will make!” That doesn’t work for ANYTHING you can name in life! The more diverse information you receive, the more thoroughly you will understand something, and the better decisions you will then make. So why is it that the ones who claim to have the highest, most important truth want to prohibit you from getting information from anyone but them? What are they afraid of? People that have FACTS on their side, never fear any information that would seem to contradict them, because if they have enough facts on their side, they can easily handle any challenge offered. But the UC fears such challenges, and wants you to believe that being fully informed is even “evil” and can undermine the supposed greatest truth there is! But that is ridiculous of course, seeing as how, in ANY question in life—finances, house purchasing, medical issues, intimate relationships, science…  ANYTHING…  the more informed I am, the more thoroughly I understand something, the more I can make the best informed decision!   Hope this helped.  God bless!

Fear is not a good reason to stay in the UC

Indemnity is a Moon Trap

conformity

Bending Truth – Cognitive Dissonance

Sun Myung Moon’s theology used to control members

Fear and Loathing at Cheongpyeong

Where Sun Myung Moon got his theology

The Korean background of Sun Myung Moon’s church

The Moon church is unequivocally not Christian

[vijaymadhukar]

Faridabad to TOEFL Classes- Stride into Global Opportunity

The city is taking the pace with students aspiring to study abroad in Faridabad. TOEFL Coaching in faridabad Among the many standardized tests that facilitate international education, none perhaps holds greater importance than the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). TOEFL is a gateway for non-native English speakers to demonstrate their proficiency in the English language, which is a requirement for many universities worldwide.

As international education demands increase, TOEFL classes in Faridabad have earned more importance. Be it USA, Canada, UK, or Australia, the preparation for the TOEFL exam becomes significant for scoring high. In this blog, we will highlight the importance of TOEFL classes and how it can work to help you prepare for the exam without referring to any specific institute.

What is TOEFL?

There are four areas of concentration that the TOEFL exam measures: Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing. Each of these areas of focus needs intense practice since the test is structured in a way that allows a judge to determine whether you can apply and comprehend English in an academic environment. Whether it's reading challenging texts, listening to lectures, or writing essays, TOEFL tests real-life skills, so you'll be prepared for university life abroad.

Why do I Need TOEFL Classes?

It's not just an English test; it is a critical thinking and time management test to understand the nuances of academic English. Even though there is the option for self-study, several benefits are realized when one joins TOEFL classes:

1.All sections of the exam have been TOEFL Coaching in faridabadcomprehensively covered in: 

TOEFL classes in Faridabad. No topic has not been covered: from reading comprehension to speaking practice, complete comprehensive preparation is given.

2.Practice and Mock Tests: Students who do well practice more and keep taking mock tests in their TOEFL classes. They are exposed to the format of the test, and mock tests really simulate the actual test setting. This increases the confidence and has enhanced scores on test day.

3.Professional Coaching: Coaches, who have experience teaching, prepare you for TOEFL tests. They know what errors students commonly make and how those errors can be corrected. It is in such professional TOEFL Coaching in faridabad coaching that the subtlety of grammar in sentences, the usage of words, and fluency in speaking can be developed.

4.Individual Attention: Probably the biggest advantages of studying TOEFL classes in Faridabad are the offers of individual attention to students in class. Class sizes are small, so the instructors have the opportunity to focus on specific needs. Whether you have difficulty writing or need better performance in listening, they will address your weaknesses at all costs.

5.Time Management Skill: The TOEFL test is time dependent. Time management during the test is an extremely important skill. The classes teach the students how to spend the time over various sections so that the test is completed without rushing through it.

6.Availability of Study Material: TOEFL requires lots of practice and most classes for TOEFL provide the students with thorough study material which includes books, sample papers, and online resources, thus ensure that TOEFL Coaching in faridabad students are provided with all facilities to prepare well.

What Should You Look for in TOEFL Classes?

If you are planning to join a TOEFL class in Faridabad, find the right one with such considerations:

1. Experienced Instructors: The quality of your preparation will to a large extent depend on the expertise of your instructors. Try to look for courses that employ experienced teachers who have a track record of success in helping students score well in the TOEFL exam.

2.Interactive Sessions: The TOEFL practice course TOEFL Coaching in faridabad must be interactive. Classes where group discussions, debates, and speaking exercises are practiced will help improve an individual's communication skills. The more an individual practices speaking in English, the greater their possibilities of scoring better at the TOEFL speaking test.

3.Regular Feedback: Select a course that enables them to give you regular feedback on your performance. Constructive criticism tells you which you are good at and where you need improvement.

4.Flexibility: Most students have many responsibilities. Flexible timings to attend classes is of great advantage. Select a course with the option of attending classes on weekends, online, or evening sessions to prepare yourself.

5.Success Stories: It does not matter whether someone knows one or more institutes, but recognizing the success rate of students who have passed the same class can give insight into your effectiveness in the course. While speaking to alumni if possible or look for testimonials about the overall structure of the program.

End

Preparation for the TOEFL exam is an important step along the road to international education. Classes from TOEFL in Faridabad, designed and taught by language experts, will give you the guidance, structure, and resources you need to do your best on the exam. That's how you'll master reading comprehension, polish your speaking skills, or get familiar with timed writing.

One of the most competitive fields is international education, and going to highly regarded and prestigious universities as well as TOEFL Coaching in faridabad scholarship schemes greatly hinges on a high TOEFL score. So if you're bent on studying overseas then you know that spending time and effort in preparation for TOEFL classes can be the difference maker to help you push through toward your academic goals.

[hariramrinwa]

"How an IELTS Institute Near Me Can Help You Study Abroad"

Are you planning to study, work, or live abroad? In all likelihood, the International English Language Testing System will play a crucial role in your pursuit. In this scenario, successful or not, finding the best IELTS institute near you will ensure the score you need. Expert guidance, structured lessons, and regular practice may help bring your dream closer.

Why IELTS is Important

IELTS is the most popular English language proficiency test in the world. Acceptance for thousands of organizations is in the countries of the UK, Australia, Canada, and the USA. The IELTS test opens up numerous opportunities, from applying for higher studies to seeking employment or migrating to a foreign country.

The IELTS test has four modules in it; it basically tests a candidate for one's Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking skills. These skills are the basic communication skills one needs when in an English-speaking environment or country. The test assesses these skills to judge at what level you stand and it has to be decent enough for an individual to function effectively in an English-speaking country.

Advantages of Joining an IELTS Institute Near Me

Preparing for IELTS can be hard, and it can be harder if you will do it alone. This is where an IELTS institute close to me really comes in handy. Here is why:

1. Expert Guidance

An IELTS institute near me means that there would be trainers on board with experience in the test nuances. They can share with you very practical inputs regarding the test pattern, scoring pattern, and tips and techniques related to each of the test sections. Expert guidance from them will help you realize where you are lacking the spirit to come out in flying colors for the tougher sections of the test.

2. Structured Learning

Another important benefit of an IELTS institute near me is the structured learning that it imparts. Every institute has recourse to a certain curriculum that one has to go through, which means all the workload for you is planned. A structured approach will help you stay on target and, consequently, make sure that you are fully prepared for the D-Day.

3. Practice Makes Perfect

Regular practice is the success behind the IELTS exam. An IELTS institute near me will provide many practice tests and exercises pertaining to the actual exam. These mock tests help not only to make a person conversant with the test's pattern but also to bring confidence to the participant. By practicing conditions near the real examination, one learns how to manage personal time properly and has reduced anxiety related to the day of the test.

One key benefit of enrolling with an IELTS institute located around me is the amount of individual attention given to students. Teachers in such institutes would always be working on your strengths and weaknesses while giving their feedback. Such feedback can result in working more on areas of weakness that you have for better performance in general during the exam.

5. Focus on Speaking and Writing

Most of the candidates find speaking and writing sections very challenging. An IELTS institute near me would have special emphasis on these two areas and provide one-to-one practice and detailed feedback on the writing samples and speaking performance. The focused session which is equipped with special skills increases the overall score.

While selecting an IELTS institute near me, a number of key ingredients need to be measured so that they can receive the best possible training:

Reputation and Success Ratio

A good reputation for an IELTS institute near me and a high rate of success. Look for the institutes with positive reviews given by former students, who already achieved their scores.

2. Experienced Trainers

The quality of trainers, if any, is what matters the most. Choose an IELTS institute near me with trainers having a wide range of experience in preparing students for the IELTS exam; they should be well informed of the format of the testing to give you practical tips and strategies to succeed.

3. Comprehensive Study Materials

IELTS institute close to me: The study material they provide should be complete and cover the whole aspect of the exam. Practice papers, sample questions, and modern resources are a must compatible to the current IELTS course structure.

4. Flexible Learning Options

A flexibility in learning: The IELTS Institute Near Me should provide a way for classroom attendees or students to join the course online, enabling students to utilize their time. This facility helps them stay committed to their preparation and, at the same time, balance their course with their other responsibilities.

Studying abroad is a lifetime dream for many students. But to successfully effort into English-speaking universities, there must be a strong score of IELTS at its back. Therefore, joining an IELTS institute near me would definitely add to the chance of scoring the desired marks for university admission fi abroad.

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Conclusion: Why Choose an IELTS Institute Near Me?

A high IELTS exam score will open the paths to all your dreams abroad. Nevertheless, preparing for the test is quite complicated and no piece of cake to do solely. Preparing for the test with an IELTS institute around the area already guarantees plenty of support, resources, and professional guidance.

 With structured learning, practice, and regular feedback at an IELTS institute near me, you can confidently develop skills for studying, working, or living abroad. If you're pretty serious about your goals, consider enrolling in an IELTS institute near me. Your flight to success takes off from the right preparation, and an IELTS institute near me is your passport to a brighter future.

[qnewsau]

Trans author Ash Shirvington wins Queensland writers prize

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/trans-author-ash-shirvington-wins-queensland-writers-prize/

Trans author Ash Shirvington wins Queensland writers prize

Queensland author Ash Shirvington has wowed the State Library of Queensland, winning a major award for a short story based on his experiences as a trans man.

This month, the 20-year-old won the 2024 State Library of Queensland Young Writers Award for Birdbone, his moving tale about bodily autonomy.

Ash entered the same competition, open to those aged 18-25, last year and came second.

But this year, Ash won, receiving a $2,000 prize and a Queensland Writers Centre membership.

As part of his prize, his winning short story will also be published in prestigious literary magazine Kill Your Darlings.

Ash says Birdbone “is a story about biology and bodily autonomy, focusing on the tensions between two children learning about how they view the world – and how the world views them.”

The Young Writer’s Award judges said they were impressed with the story’s “vivid prose, dreamy imagery and striking conclusion.”

“Birdbone explores the precariousness of adolescent life and longing to deliver a narrative that resists easy tropes,” they said.

Author Ash Shirvington is studying at Griffith University

Ash Shirvington is currently at Griffith University studying a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in creative writing.

“I found out about the Young Writer’s Award last year and I wanted to try to be a part of it,” he said.

“I thought it would be an amazing opportunity, to help better my writing and potentially platform my work – although I never expected to place!”

Ash Shirvington says now he’s expanding his folio of stories and submitting more to literary magazines. He urges aspiring young writers to do the same.

“I would say that there’s nothing to lose. Rejection can be a trivial thing,” he said.

“So if you treat it that way, and submit confidently, you’re only going to gain.”

Follow Ash on Instagram at @ash.s.writes.

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.